Tangle Podcast: PREVIEW - The Friday Edition. Your Questions About ICE, Answered.

Podcast: Tangle
Host: Isaac Saul
Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Tangle dives into frequently asked questions about the Department of Homeland Security—focusing on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and related agencies. Isaac Saul, along with editors Will Kaback and Lindsay Knuth, aims to clarify public confusion and address rampant misinformation, especially in light of significant policy changes and hiring surges under the Trump administration. Through expert interviews and reader questions, the episode seeks to demystify these agencies’ structures, authorities, recruiting practices, and operational differences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining DHS Agents: ICE vs. CBP

[02:35 – 08:30]

• Agency Breakdown:

  • ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) are both enforcement arms within DHS, with overlapping but distinct missions.
  • CBP is split into three branches:
    • Border Patrol: Handles patrols near borders.
    • Office of Field Operations: Inspects personal items at ports and airports.
    • Air and Marine Operations: Oversees aerial and maritime border security.
  • ICE has two main branches:
    • Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO): Focuses on finding and removing individuals residing illegally in the U.S.
    • Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): Primary investigative arm, focused on fraud and serious transnational crimes.

• Jurisdiction & Authority:

  • Border Patrol has special enforcement capabilities within 100 miles of the border, but can operate inland when assigned.
  • Both ICE and CBP officers can stop or detain individuals on “reasonable suspicion” and conduct arrests/searches with “probable cause.”
  • Authority and operational mandates often overlap, which fosters regular cooperation among divisions.

Notable Quote:
“CBP and ICE have considerable overlap in focus and responsibility, but though they differ in important and meaningful ways and each agency has subdivisions that specialize further...their authority is the same and their goals are usually aligned, so these divisions often work cooperatively.”
— Isaac Saul [07:40]

2. Staffing, Recruitment, and Training Changes

[08:30 – 11:00]

• ICE Recent Growth:

  • Number of ICE agents swelled from 10,000 to over 22,000 in the past year (per January DHS press release).
  • Growth enabled by increased budgets, signing bonuses (up to $50,000), and student loan repayment incentives.
  • Significant policy change: Age restrictions were eliminated (previously 21-37/40, now 18 and up, no upper limit).

• Training Adjustments:

  • Concerns raised about whether instructional staff can keep up with rapid hiring.
  • Training includes basic constitutional rights, search & seizure, firearms, traffic stops; followed by agency-specific modules.
  • De-escalation and use-of-force policy are included.
  • Reports suggest Spanish language training was cut, utilizing translation tech instead.
  • Official ICE training varies (reported as short as six to eight weeks in some outlets, but ICE’s site lists 16 weeks plus five weeks for Spanish).
  • Unclear if instructional hours have been reduced, or just compressed.

Expert Concern:
“[Joshua] Erdheimer warned that the number of instructors and supervisors had not kept pace with the number of new recruits, and he questioned how these individuals have been trained, noting Noem's decision to drop the age requirement.”
— Isaac Saul, summarizing expert interview [09:58]

3. Identification Requirements for DHS Agents

[11:00 – 12:00]

• Legal Expectations:
  • Legally, immigration officers must identify themselves as officers authorized to make arrests but are not universally required to give their name or badge number.
  • Exception: Officers can delay identification if they deem it unsafe or impractical.
  • Upon initiating an arrest, ICE agents must state they’re “immigration officers,” with the “practical and safe” caveat.

Policy Context:
“These regulations are typical for law enforcement as a whole. In fact, DHS rules on identification may be stricter in some cases. The United States does not have a federal law universally requiring law enforcement officers to identify or display their name and badge in every public interaction…”
— Isaac Saul [10:51]

4. Preview of Further Discussion: Civil vs. Criminal Offenses

[13:04]

• Next Segment Teaser:
  • Associate Editor Lindsay Knuth introduces the next key question: If entering or overstaying in the U.S. is a civil violation, why can ICE or Border Patrol arrest people who aren’t committing criminal offenses?
  • The answer is previewed but the full discussion is behind the subscriber wall.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Agency Roles:
  “Their missions have significant overlap, but their responsibilities are different. CBP is made up of three branches…”
  — Isaac Saul [03:45]

• On Rapid Growth:
  “Over the last year, ICE has grown significantly, increasing its number of officers and agents from 10,000 to over 22,000, according to a January DHS press release.”
  — Isaac Saul [08:50]

• On the Policy Shift:
  “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem eliminating the age requirement and CAP to work for ICE in August. Previously, applicants had to be between the ages of 21 and 37 or 40...Now applicants can be as young as 18, and there is no upper limit on age.”
  — Isaac Saul [09:10]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [02:35] — Introduction & Purpose: What are ICE and CBP, and why are people confused?
• [04:00 – 08:30] — Breakdown of DHS agency responsibilities and authority.
• [08:30 – 11:00] — ICE/CBP recruitment surge, training changes, age limits, expert concerns.
• [11:00 – 12:00] — Identification requirements for agents.
• [13:04] — Transition to segment exploring civil offenses and ICE’s arrest authority (preview only).

Tone & Style

Isaac Saul’s delivery is fact-driven yet accessible, addressing listener questions with clarity and nuance. The episode balances expert insight with readable explanations, reflecting Tangle’s commitment to independence and cross-spectrum political analysis. The language remains approachable, avoiding bureaucratic jargon but remaining precise about legal and policy complexities.

Summary Takeaways

• ICE and CBP are both enforcement agencies with overlapping but distinct branches and missions; cooperation is common.
• ICE is undergoing significant expansion, with changes in recruitment policy and training, sparking concerns from former DHS officials about readiness and maturity of new hires.
• Identification by agents is required only when safe and practical, with no universal federal rule for name/badge disclosure in all public interactions.
• Further subscriber-only sections will address the legal rationale for ICE/CBP arrests over civil infractions.

Listeners and readers, especially those seeking unbiased breakdowns of DHS operations and immigration enforcement procedures, will find the episode informative, clear, and engaging—true to Tangle’s non-partisan mission.