Half of Federal Law Enforcement Officers Work for DHS: Report
The U.S employed nearly 137,000 federal law enforcement officers in 2020, of whom over 62,000 work under the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than 60 percent are white.
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In 2020, the U.S employed over 130,000 federal law enforcement officers. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), nearly half worked under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The report found that the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) made up the bulk of DHS officers, a reflection of the focus on border security and undocumented immigration over the last two decades.
The number of undocumented immigrants detained on the southern border with Mexico topped two million in 2022.
The DHS, established in 2003, in response to the Sept. 11 2001 terror attacks, is the third largest federal agency in the U.S. government, with over 240,000 employees.
CBP and ICE comprised around 56,000 of the over 62,000 officers working under the DHS, or roughly 90 percent.
In addition, the report found that some 61 percent of federal law enforcement officers are white, 21 percent Hispanic and 10 percent Black.
According to the report, that was much less gender diversity, however. Around 15 percent of federal law enforcement officers and 13 percent of supervisory law enforcement personnel were female.
The report also found criminal investigation was the primary function for just over two-thirds of federal law enforcement officers.
The findings come from the 2020 Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers, conducted sporadically by the BJS since 1993.
The 2020 data was from 94 agencies, including 44 Offices of Inspectors General, which provide oversight of federal agencies and their activities.
The census excluded the U.S. Armed Forces, officers stationed overseas and agencies with confidentiality restrictions, such as the Federal Air Marshal Service.
The report can be downloaded here.
This summary was prepared by Associate TCR Editor James Van Bramer.
