Agency that nabbed 'El Chapo,' 'Diddy' threatened as Democrats' DHS shutdown drags on
The ongoing standoff over Homeland Security funding is raising concerns about the potential impact on Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the agency that has helped bring cases against high-profile figures, including...
By Fox News · Fox News
The ongoing standoff over Homeland Security funding is raising concerns about the potential impact on Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the agency that has helped bring cases against high-profile figures, including Sean "Diddy" Combs and Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. HSI is one of several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened by the ongoing government shutdown. That branch of DHS acts as the investigative arm for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the agency that Democrats want to rein in and reform — and handles investigations into human and sex trafficking, drug trafficking, immigration-related crimes, child exploitation and several other areas. DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was anointed the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans in the ongoing DHS funding back-and-forth, told Fox News Digital the agency’s work is "critically important." "When you think about interior enforcement, I mean, HSI is a critical component of that," Britt said. "You look at what they've done, you look at the bad actors they've been able to hunt down and hold accountable for human trafficking, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, child pornography, trafficking, all kinds of things." Other big names whom HSI has played a role in investigating or indicting include R. Kelly, Josh Duggar, Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Jared Fogle. SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN While ICE and other immigration enforcement operations like HSI were funded in part through Republicans’ "big, beautiful bill," the lapse in ongoing appropriations could threaten supplies in the field and travel, hampering investigations already underway. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that HSI was continuing to function during the shutdown, with arrests and investigations still happening. But as the current 14-da…