Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
ICE Official Reassigned Amid Frustrations Over Mass Deportation Effort
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 months ago on
February 21, 2025

Trump administration reshuffles immigration enforcement leadership as it pushes for faster deportations of undocumented immigrants. (AP File)

Share

WASHINGTON — The top official in charge of carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda has been reassigned amid concerns that the deportation effort isn’t moving fast enough.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Friday that Caleb Vitello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was “no longer in an administrative role, but is instead overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of the President and Secretary (Kristi) Noem.”

The statement made no mention of why Vitello, a career ICE official with more than two decades on the job, was reassigned or who his replacement will be. White House officials have expressed frustration with the pace of deportations of people in the country illegally.

An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the decision to reassign Vitello came from the Homeland Security secretary and not from the president.

Immigration Enforcement a Key Priority

The decision comes a little over one month into the new administration, showing how important immigration and carrying out mass deportations are to the Trump administration.

ICE — specifically, its Enforcement and Removal Operations arm — is the key agency tasked with carrying out the Republican president’s pledge of mass deportations of people in the country illegally during his second term.

Last week Tom Homan, the White House border czar tasked with carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda across the federal government, said arrests inside the U.S. — as opposed to people arrested as they’re crossing the border — are about three times higher than they were this time last year, under President Joe Biden. But he said it still wasn’t enough.

“I’m not satisfied,” Homan said. “We got to get more.”

At the time, Homan also said he had talked to ICE leadership about the number of people who had been released from immigration custody. From now on, he said, no one would be released without ICE leadership signing off.

“The number of releases was unacceptable,” Homan said, “and that’s been fixed.”

Limited Data on Arrests and Deportations

The Trump administration has released limited information about how many people in the country illegally have been arrested.

From Jan. 23 to Jan. 31, officials shared data on X daily, then stopped publishing information. The agency’s data dashboard has more information, but those quarterly figures are only current as of September 2024.

During the seven-day day period when ICE released daily data, the daily average was 787 arrests, compared with 311 during a 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Challenges in Implementing Mass Deportations

Carrying out deportations, especially in high numbers, poses logistical challenges.

There are a limited number of enforcement and removal officers — those tasked with tracking down, arresting and removing people in the country illegally — and the number of officers has remained stagnant for years. ICE also has a limited number of detention beds to hold people once arrested and a limited number of planes to remove them from the country.

The Trump administration has augmented ICE’s fleet of charter planes with U.S. military planes and has pulled in officers from other agencies to help carry out immigration enforcement operations.

The administration has repeatedly said its first priority is migrants who have committed crimes in the U.S. or pose a threat, but those arrests often require intensive staffing and time.

“They’re asking ICE and law enforcement to defy math,” said Jason Houser, the former chief of staff at ICE under the Biden administration.

Vitello most recently was the assistant director for firearms and tactical programs before being tapped as the acting director.

He’s also served on the National Security Council and held positions at ICE directly related to the agency’s enforcement operations.

ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader in years.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

DON'T MISS

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

DON'T MISS

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

DON'T MISS

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

DON'T MISS

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

DON'T MISS

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

DON'T MISS

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

UP NEXT

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

UP NEXT

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

UP NEXT

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

UP NEXT

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

UP NEXT

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

17 minutes ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

31 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

53 minutes ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

2 hours ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

2 hours ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

2 hours ago

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

2 hours ago

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

2 hours ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

3 hours ago

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi’s store-brand cookies and...

2 minutes ago

2 minutes ago

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

6 minutes ago

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

11 minutes ago

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

17 minutes ago

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

31 minutes ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

54 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

2 hours ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

2 hours ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend