During a Tucson raid last week, photos taken by observers show one vehicle standing out with a clear agency name: DEA, or Drug Enforcement Administration.
That agency has traditionally focused on enforcing drug laws, including targeting people who produce and sell prohibited drugs.
But under the Trump administration’s crackdown, DEA agents are increasingly arresting immigrants, according to recent comments by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
“They are taking DEA agents that normally work with me to go after the Mexican drug cartels, and they are sending them to places like Minneapolis and Washington D.C. to do interior enforcement against people who have not committed crimes,” Mayes told reporters with Fox 10 Phoenix.
In August 2025, almost half of DEA agents had been shifted to immigration enforcement, according to the Cato Institute.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, directed questions about DEA’s involvement in immigration arrests to the drug enforcement agency. The DEA did not respond to Arizona Luminaria’s request for comment.
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