In a Feb. 7 memo viewed by the Journal, Noem asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide agents to help probe the financial movements of human-trafficking networks and companies that employ people who are in the country illegally. Those agents would be authorized to help arrest and transport detainees.
According to the Journal, Noem's request is part of a broader effort by the Republican administration to deputize law-enforcement officials at a number of federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Marshals Service.