The Trump administration is removing hundreds of illegal migrants from the United States daily as it follows through on a campaign pledge to implement a hardline enforcement agenda.
A total of 538 illegal migrant criminals were arrested on Thursday and deportation flights via military aircraft are already underway, a Trump administration spokesperson stated Thursday. Among those arrested include a suspected terrorist, four members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua and several individuals convicted of sex crimes against children.
“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated on X. “Promises made. Promises kept.”
Border czar Tom Homan told NewsNation on Thursday night that the administration has apprehended 1,300 migrants so far — with more than 1,000 of them carrying criminal records. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) additionally announced that it has lodged 373 detainer requests, which ask local law enforcement to hold a migrant until an ICE agent can arrive on scene and assume custody.
Deportation flights have begun.
President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences. pic.twitter.com/CTlG8MRcY1
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 24, 2025
Immediately upon entering office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, allowing him to utilize more resources to address the immigration crisis that began under the previous administration. Since that order, the White House has moved to deploy troops to the southern border and the Department of Defense has tapped military aircraft to help deportation operations.
In an effort to take the handcuffs of ICE agents, the administration on Tuesday eliminated so-called sensitive locations, public areas like schools or hospitals in which deportation officers were previously not allowed to conduct enforcement activities. The administration also expanded expedited removal — a policy that allows immigration enforcement officials to quickly remove illegal migrants from the U.S. by bypassing the immigration court process — from 100 miles within an international border to anywhere within the country.
In a move intended to help support ICE’s mission, the administration granted immigration enforcement authorities onto agents working within the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons
While the White House is working to empower ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies to carry out its ambitious deportation operation, it’s also aiming to strike down whatever roadblocks may arise from sanctuary jurisdictions. The Department of Justice established the Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group, a task force aimed at identifying state and local laws or policies that are “inconsistent” with federal immigration initiatives and, when necessary, challenging those laws in court.
Homan Thursday said those who are breaking federal law by obstructing ICE agents will be dealt with accordingly.
“They’ll be taken to court real soon,” he said to NewsNation. “They’ve already been warned that federal law overrides any local jurisdiction law so this is going to be played out in the courts.”
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