Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended almost 5,500 criminal migrants in less than a week, marking an early milestone in President Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration.
The arrests were the product of numerous planned operations across the country, which saw some of the worst violent offenders handcuffed after freely traversing the country during the Biden administration.
Those busts included dozens of members of the notorious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua prison gang, as well as many MS-13 gang members, at least five “career criminals” apprehended by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and hundreds of others wanted for murder, kidnapping, child molestation, and other offenses.
Since Jan. 23, ICE has provided daily “enforcement updates” on X, detailing their daily arrest totals as well as detainers lodged – formal requests for convicts to be held until they can be picked up by immigration officials.
Through Tuesday, officials made 5,537 arrests and issued 4,333 detainers, giving police a head start on what is expected to be a lengthy and resource-intensive enforcement effort.
The White House has enforced a daily quota of at least 75 arrests from each of ICE’s 25 satellite offices, and it has also shared information about some of the high-profile busts across the country.
- Edgar De La Cruz-Manzo, a Mexican national convicted of raping a child, was arrested by ICE Seattle on Jan. 25.
- An unnamed Jordanian national with suspected ties to terror group ISIS was busted by ICE Buffalo/Rouses Point on Jan. 24.
- An unnamed MS-13 gang member wanted for murder from El Salvador was picked up by ICE Los Angeles that same day.
- Yared Geremew Mekonnen, an Ethiopian national and convicted sex offender wanted for sexual abuse and kidnapping, was arrested in New Orleans Jan. 24.
- Vitor De Sousa-Lima, a Brazilian national previously convicted of manslaughter, was arrested in Boston by ICE agents Jan. 25.
- Juan Ojeda Chang, 73, a Cuban national, was arrested by ICE Baltimore on Jan. 26 on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
- An unnamed Afghan national slapped with an existing removal order with known or suspected ties to a terror group was busted by ICE San Diego on Jan. 27
ICE has had its hands busy, executing armed raids before daybreak in every part of the United States. But the agency’s work is far from done.
Trump’s newly designated “border czar” Tom Homan has stated that deportations of violent criminals will continue on a daily basis until the estimated 700,000 illegal migrants who have committed crimes are removed from the country — and that sanctuary communities will not be spared.
Homan disclosed that ICE personnel had developed a “target sheet” of illegal migrants with criminal records that they intend to arrest and deport, with the purpose of first apprehending individuals who represent the greatest threat to public safety.
However, Homan has also stated that anybody who is already in the United States unlawfully is “on the table” for ultimate deportation, as the Trump administration seeks to reverse the record inflow of illegal immigrants who streamed into the country under Biden, reaching almost 8 million.
