{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-sounds-alarm-over-doj-diverting-fbi", "Congressman Krishnamoorthi Sounds Alarm Over DOJ Diverting FBI Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Resources to Mass Immigration Raids", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Raja Krishnamoorthi", "K000391", "krishnamoorthi.house.gov", "krishnamoorthi", "https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel raising serious concerns that the Department of Justice has diverted FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence personnel away from their core national security missions and reassigned them to support mass immigration enforcement operations, putting the United States at risk. In the letter, Congressman Krishnamoorthi warned that senior DOJ officials have redirected personnel and assets from the FBI\u2019s core mission despite the Bureau\u2019s own assessment that terrorists and nation-state adversaries pose the most immediate threats to the homeland:\n\n\u201cOver the last year, senior officials have reassigned personnel and assets from the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u2019s (FBI) core national security mission to immigration enforcement, leaving counterterrorism and counterintelligence work compromised and putting our national security at risk.\u201d\n\nThe letter cites reporting that early in 2025, DOJ leadership directed FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces to assist with immigration initiatives, requiring agents responsible for terrorism investigations, espionage detection, and cyber threat monitoring to prioritize immigration enforcement over national security work:\n\n\u201cAgents responsible for espionage detection cyber threat monitoring, and terrorism investigation, therefore, were required to prioritize immigration enforcement, giving less attention to crucial national security threats.\u201d\n\nDespite a rise in alleged terrorist incidents across the United States, the letter notes that a significant share of the Bureau remains diverted:\n\n\u201cNearly a quarter of the FBI\u2019s roughly 13,000 agents nationwide, and up to 40 percent in the largest field offices, remain assigned to immigration enforcement duties.\u201d\n\nCongressman Krishnamoorthi further highlighted reporting that analysts tracking terrorist financing, money laundering, and the illicit trade in looted antiquities, as well as investigations into the Iranian oil black market used to finance terrorism, have been delayed by months:\n\n\u201cInternal sources further indicate that these core national security investigations, including into the black market for Iranian oil sold to finance terrorism, have been delayed by months.\u201d\n\nAccording to additional reporting cited in the letter, the diversion of counterterrorism and counterintelligence personnel has halted critical investigations:\n\n\u201cThe shift of resources from counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams, including many FBI personnel working years-long complex investigations involving classified techniques and sources, have caused several critical investigations to stop.\u201d\n\nThe letter also raises alarm that counterintelligence specialists with deep expertise on China, Russia, and Iran have been reassigned to immigration cases, limiting enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and allowing foreign intelligence operatives greater freedom to operate inside the United States:\n\n\u201cThese shifts have limited investigations into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and have allowed foreign intelligence operatives greater room to maneuver within the United States.\u201d\n\nEmphasizing the FBI\u2019s statutory mandate, the letter warns:\n\n\u201cIts counterintelligence and counterterrorism components exist to detect and disrupt the activities of hostile foreign actors, not to conduct civil immigration enforcement or unrelated administrative duties.\u201d\n\nIn light of these concerns, Congressman Krishnamoorthi asked the FBI to promptly provide detailed answers to the following questions:\n\nTo what extent have FBI personnel assigned to counterintelligence, counterterrorism, or related national security missions been redirected to assist with immigration enforcement or other non\u2013national security duties?\n\nHow have these reassignments affected FBI\u2019s ability to investigate and disrupt espionage, terrorism, cyber intrusions, and other national security threats?\n\nHave any ongoing national security or counterterrorism investigations\u2014such as the probe into the Iranian oil black market or cases involving foreign influence operations\u2014been delayed, suspended, or deprioritized because of these diversions?\n\nWere formal operational risk assessments or impact analyses conducted prior to redirecting these agents, and if so, what did they conclude?\n\nWhat steps, if any, has the Bureau taken to return these personnel to their original counterintelligence and counterterrorism assignments and to restore full operational readiness in these mission areas?\n\nWhat mechanisms or internal controls will be implemented to prevent future diversions of national security resources for purposes unrelated to the FBI\u2019s statutory counterintelligence and counterterrorism missions?", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-sounds-alarm-over-doj-diverting-fbi"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8429978042840958, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}