The Diplomatic Security Service is being targeted for firings. Why that matters: Analysis

The Trump administration has embarked on a bold and controversial plan to streamline and downsize the federal government, in part by eliminating newer federal employee positions. In his executive order from Feb. 11, he lays out the parameters of the review and downsizing by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but has clear exclusions for military personnel as well as “any position they deem necessary to meet national security, homeland security, or public safety responsibilities” or other necessary exemptions.

Despite those clear exceptions, it seems at least one department has not excepted its law enforcement personnel, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).

DSS personnel are the proverbial “tip of the spear” when it comes to international diplomacy and emergency response. This very small agency, established in 1985 in response to a number of terrorist attacks and threats around the world including the deadly 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, operates in every corner of the globe. It has been responsible for helping evacuate U.S. personnel in Kabul as well as helping locate and identify Americans held hostage by Hamas.

The agency’s often unheralded mission is protecting American embassies, personnel and citizens abroad, protecting the secretary of state and other visiting dignitaries in the United States as well as investigating visa and passport fraud, child exploitation, human and drug trafficking, financial fraud and identity theft.

Another critical aspect of DSS work is in the field of counterintelligence. Due to the agency’s position as the regional security officer (RSO) in embassies around the world, DSS personnel acquire relationships with host nations’ law enforcement, military and intelligence apparatuses. They are also the first to meet with individuals who come to U.S. embassies with potential intelligence information on fugitives or others.

DSS clearly meets the exemption under Trump’s Feb. 11 executive order, yet the State Department and DSS leadership have been silent in light of the firing of its personal services contractors, including the civilian security contractors, training instructors, bomb techs, explosive ordnance technicians and K9 personnel and counter-surveillance contract units that supplement DSS at every U.S. embassy.

In Benghazi, Libya, three of the four people killed in the 2012 terror attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission there were civilian contractors and former U.S. military special forces – Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. So, the firings seem counter to the exceptions that downsizing would include law enforcement personnel who perform an essential national security function for the U.S. government.

In light of the firings, it is also unclear how much further cuts may go, despite DSS being asked to do more in other executive orders, including border security.

In the executive order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” the secretary of state, in coordination with the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security are tasked with prioritizing the prosecution of offenses related to the unauthorized entry and presence of undocumented migrants in the United States. DSS is the team that investigates and enforces both passport and visa fraud cases for the United States, which often have tremendous investigative value.

The “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists” executive order will also have DSS agents at the center of their efforts.

The order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” mandates enhanced vetting and screening of individuals and that also falls to DSS.

But while other federal law enforcement agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, US Marshal’s Service and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms have been told that they clearly are exempt from the mass downsizing and reorganization, the State Department and specifically DSS leadership have not commented.

In an email to DSS leadership on Feb. 12, 2024, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association DSS representative stated: “Despite guidance urging personnel to rely on official communications, the absence of headquarters messaging on these matters has fueled speculation and uncertainty among our agents. The lack of clarity has led to an increase in FLEOA membership, as DSS personnel – once confident in their career stability – now seek legal support to prepare for potential adverse actions.”

In a world that seems more dangerous, with nefarious foreign actors, states, terrorists, plots and wars occurring in different regions of the world, DSS personnel are critical to maintaining U.S. national security presence and keeping U.S. embassies and American citizens safe. Cutting that law enforcement agency in any way will only do one thing, diminish our foreign policy goals and American security.

Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service agent and regional field training instructor who served during two presidential transitions. He was also a police officer and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. The opinions expressed in this story are not those of ABC News.