ICE Arrests Thousands of Criminal Migrants in Nationwide Raids
ICE has arrested over 5,500 criminal migrants in nationwide raids as part of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, targeting violent offenders and gang members.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has rounded up more than 5,500 criminal migrants in less than a week, marking an early milestone in President Trump's promised clampdown on illegal immigration.
The arrests resulted from numerous coordinated raids throughout the country, capturing some of the worst violent offenders who had been active during the Biden administration.
Among those arrested were dozens of members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua prison gang, multiple MS-13 gang members, at least five "career criminals" apprehended by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and many others wanted for serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and child molestation.
ICE has provided daily "enforcement updates" on X since January 23, detailing arrest totals as well as detainers lodged, which are formal requests to hold inmates until immigration officials can take custody.
As of Tuesday, officials had made 5,537 arrests and lodged 4,333 detainers, giving the agency a head start in a significant and resource-heavy enforcement effort.
The White House has mandated a daily quota of at least 75 arrests from each of ICE's 25 satellite offices and has shared information about some of the high-profile arrests made nationwide.
ICE has been conducting pre-dawn armed raids across the United States, and the agency's initiatives are ongoing.
Trump's newly appointed "border czar" Tom Homan stated that deportations targeting violent criminals will take place daily until the estimated 700,000 illegal migrants with criminal records are removed from the country, emphasizing that sanctuary cities will not be exempt.
Homan revealed that ICE officers have created a "target sheet" identifying illegal migrants with criminal records for arrest and deportation, prioritizing those who pose a significant threat to public safety.
However, Homan also indicated that anyone currently in the US unlawfully is "on the table" for eventual deportation, as the Trump administration seeks to reverse the influx of nearly 8 million illegal immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
