WASHINGTON — Leaks. Pointed accusations. A top official’s resignation. And above all, increasingly dire conditions for migrants — those who make it across the border and those who fail, as captured in the searing images of a father clutching his child, both drowned, on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Ever engulfed in turmoil under President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has entered a new stage of dysfunction and finger-pointing as the administration continues to rearrange staff and push hard-line rhetoric and policies that have failed to contain a surge in illegal border crossings, according to more than a dozen current and former administration officials, congressional aides and people familiar with the events. Many spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

The squabbling and jockeying over jobs come amid outrage over reports of children being held in squalid conditions and families dying as they try to make it to the U.S.

Over the past week alone, a scrapped immigration roundup targeting families prompted infighting and accusations of leaking. The acting leaders at both U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which manages the border, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which handles immigration enforcement inside the country, have either stepped down or been reassigned. And questions remain about whether the president has confidence in the man he recently tapped to head the sprawling DHS, acting secretary Kevin McAleenan.

The leadership merry-go-round has spun so many times that it’s hard to keep track of who is in charge of what. And most of those leaders have not been officially nominated by Trump, let alone confirmed by the Senate.

“DHS is charged with keeping the nation secure, but the president is putting its leadership through a constant game of musical chairs to fit his political agenda,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The 240,000-person department is tasked with election and cyber security, disaster response and even the Secret Service. But in Trump’s world, Homeland Security means one thing: immigration. The president’s signature issue makes the department the focus of his ire.

Trump’s efforts in recent weeks have featured whiplash-inducing threats and reversals. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Last week, Mark Morgan, newly installed as acting director of ICE, sought to please his boss by moving forward with a long-considered operation that would target families living in the U.S. illegally. But questions remained, including whether there was enough detention space available for families, what would happen to the children of arrested parents, and whether the effort made sense, given the crisis at the border.

McAleenan, according to several officials, had cautioned against the idea, much like other leaders who were ousted.

Then Trump tweeted without warning that a massive deportation operation was in the works. Damage control quickly ensued, with heated meetings at the White House.

And on Friday, specific details of the operation leaked to the press, including information about when the operation would begin and in which cities.

Amid finger-pointing over where the leak had come from, ICE canceled it over concerns for officer safety. Trump later said he called off the raids at the request of Democrats.

But the leaks enraged ICE officials. Former ICE head Tom Homan, a strong proponent of Trump’s policies, seemed to point a finger at McAleenan during an appearance on Fox News.

“This leak, which I know where it came from, we all know where it came from,” he said. Homan said the leaks put “officers at greater risk of harm.”

Homan told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he had never said McAleenan was to blame.

More immigration staffing also remains under discussion. Homan said he remains open to joining the administration as an immigration czar, even after Trump jumped the gun by saying on Fox that it was a done deal.

As for the turnover, Homan said he wouldn’t second-guess Trump’s decisions.

“I’m sure there’s reasons he’s making these changes. I think he’s hitting the reset button and coming up with some fresh ideas,” Homan said.

But at ICE, officials have now had three bosses in as many months.

While the political jockeying takes place, tens of thousands of migrant families are being held behind chain-link fences at border stations that are not set up for long-term — or even short-term — detention.

Lawyers have decried the conditions inside the facilities, especially for children.

Democrats blamed Trump’s policies for the deaths, while the president blamed Democrats and defended his administration’s treatment of children in its custody.