United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, typically responsible for issuing green cards and visas, announced a new agency rule on Thursday that will authorize hiring armed special agents who can make arrests for civil and criminal violations of federal immigration laws.

The firearm-carrying agents will be “empowered to investigate, arrest, and present for prosecution those who violate America’s immigration laws,” the immigration agency said in a statement. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem bestowed the agency with the new authority.