Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem announced new leadership for the agency responsible for immigration enforcement on Sunday. She also pledged to increase polygraph tests for employees, aiming to identify those who may be leaking operational information to the media.

Noem confirmed that the government will extend immigration detention operations into the military sector, following plans to use the Fort Bliss army base near the US-Mexico border for this purpose.

“The plan to utilize the facility at Fort Bliss for detention is indeed in place,” Noem stated.

The secretary also warned that her department is facing a funding shortfall for its mass deportation efforts within weeks unless Congress increases funding.

Noem emphasized the broad and extensive authorities under the Department of Homeland Security and her intention to utilize them all to ensure compliance with the law, safeguarding people, and fulfilling President Trump’s promises.

Although polygraph exams are generally not admissible in court, they are commonly used by federal enforcement agencies and for national security clearances.

The White House has previously expressed frustrations with the pace of deportations, partially attributing the slow progress to recent leaks that revealed cities where authorities planned raids.

Despite Ice’s promotional efforts regarding its deportations and efforts to transparency, including media invitations and sharing information, concerns about the accuracy and justification of the facts disseminated and the actions taken have been raised.

Todd Lyons, the former assistant director of field operations for the agency’s enforcement sector, will serve as acting Ice director. Madison Sheahan, the secretary of the Louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries and Noem’s former aide during her governorship of South Dakota, is set to become the agency’s deputy director.

These leadership changes follow the reassignment of Ice’s acting director, Caleb Vitello, on February 21 for not meeting anti-immigration expectations, and the reassignment of two other top immigration enforcement officials on February 11.

The Trump administration deported 37,660 individuals during the president’s first month in office, a significantly lower figure than the monthly average of 57,000 removals during the last full year of Joe Biden’s administration.

Although arrest rates were higher than usual in the initial weeks of the Trump administration, arrests and detentions do not necessarily result in removals. Additionally, the number of unauthorized crossings at the US-Mexico border has seen a dramatic decline since last summer, initially due to new Biden restrictions, and further under Trump.

Noem previously stated that the agency intends to prosecute two “leakers of information” who exposed vulnerabilities by revealing upcoming enforcement operations in various cities. She noted that these individuals could face up to 10 years in federal prison. A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a comment request.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting