(NewsNation) — The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the investigative unit of the federal mail agency, is now assisting federal immigration agents with the enforcement of migrants who entered the United States illegally, NewsNation has confirmed.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not specify the U.S. Postal Service’s role in immigration enforcement but said its participation is part of a “whole-of-government approach to stop the invasion that (President Joe) Biden allowed in.”
“Under President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security will use every tool and resource available to secure our border and get criminal illegal aliens out of our country,” the spokesperson told NewsNation. “The safety of American citizens comes first.”
The Washington Post, citing sources and documentation, reported that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service recently joined the DHS task force that is assigned to assist with finding, detaining and deporting immigrants who entered the United States illegally.
The report indicated that federal immigration officials are seeking photographs of the outside of envelopes and packages and access to the postal investigation unit’s surveillance systems. Those systems are used to track online account data, package and mail-tracking information, credit card data, financial material and IP addresses, the Washington Post reported.
“These actions are a key part of ensuring law enforcement has the resources they need to fulfill President Trump’s promise to the American people to remove violent criminals from our streets, dismantle drug and human trafficking operations, and make America safe again,” the DHS spokesperson told NewsNation.
According to the USPS, the postal inspection service investigates any crime that involves the U.S. Mail or the postal services. This includes mail theft, mail fraud, identity theft and the use of the mail for drug trafficking or other illegal activities.
A spokesperson from the USPS did not immediately respond to an email from NewsNation seeking comment on the agency’s involvement with immigration enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security has also tapped other federal agencies, including the IRS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to assist with immigration enforcement. White House border czar Tom Homan told NewsNation last week that the Trump administration will use “all the tools in the toolbox” to reach its goals of securing the U.S.-Mexico border and carrying out the largest mass deportation in American history.