DHS Should Be Dismantled and Restructured, Not Reformed
Source: Paul Rosenzweig. "How to Fix DHS - The Atlantic." March 22, 2026. www.theatlantic.com
The Gist
The author argues that the Department of Homeland Security has become too powerful and abusive, especially under Trump, and should be broken apart. Instead of trying to fix it, we should keep only the parts that fight foreign terrorism and move everything else back to other government departments where they belong.
Conclusion
The Department of Homeland Security should be wholesale dismantled and restructured rather than reformed, with most components returned to other agencies and only counterterrorism functions retained
Premises
- DHS has become a rogue agency under Trump, with ICE and Border Patrol accused of unnecessary violence, constitutional violations, and disregard for rule of law
- The original design of DHS was flawed from the beginning, combining functions that don't logically belong together and leaving out relevant capabilities for political reasons
- DHS's evolution to combat domestic terrorism converted it from focusing on foreign actors to surveilling domestic actors, creating tools that can be misused against American citizens
- The force-multiplier effect that was seen as a strength has become a liability, allowing Border Patrol agents to operate in urban areas where they lack proper authority
- Many DHS components like FEMA, immigration adjudication, and the Coast Guard have missions only partially related to counterterrorism and would function better in other departments
- Disaggregation would significantly reduce the likelihood of authoritarian abuses while maintaining America's counterterrorism capabilities
Assumptions
- The primary legitimate function of DHS should be foreign counterterrorism, not domestic law enforcement
- Organizational structure directly influences the potential for abuse of power
- Agencies perform better when their missions are coherent and focused rather than sprawling
- The risk of domestic authoritarianism outweighs the administrative benefits of consolidation
- Congressional and judicial oversight are insufficient to prevent executive overreach within the current structure