During Donald Trump's first month as president, more than 20,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration initiated an immigration crackdown immediately after his inauguration, with daily arrest totals being publicized in the initial weeks of his term.
The pace of at-large arrests, referring to those conducted within the community, surpassed that of the Biden administration. In the last fiscal year under Biden, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out approximately 33,000 at-large arrests.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated, 'President Trump and this Administration are saving lives every day through the actions taken to secure the border and deport illegal alien criminals. Hundreds of thousands of criminals entered the country illegally, and we are sending them home, ensuring they will not be allowed to return.'
Senior Trump officials expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of arrests, leading to the removal of the acting ICE director. Trump recently implemented measures to increase arrests, such as instructing ICE agents to locate and deport thousands of migrant children who entered the country unaccompanied, as per an internal memo.
The administration is contemplating utilizing war-time authority to expedite deportations for specific undocumented immigrants. However, some of Trump's directives have faced legal challenges, with a federal judge in Seattle recently blocking his order to suspend refugee admissions and funding.
