ICE Makes Hundreds of Arrests in First Days of Trump Admin
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants, many with criminal histories, within the first few days of President Donald Trump’s administration, marking the start of an intensified effort to target individuals in the US illegally.
According to a report by Fox News, the arrests occurred over a 33-hour period between midnight on January 21 and 9 a.m. on January 22. Those detained had criminal records including offenses such as sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and other serious crimes. The individuals hailed from various countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela, among others.
The arrests spanned multiple states, including those who have been hesitant to comply with federal immigration authorities such as Illinois, California, and New York. In addition to the arrests, ICE also issued over 420 detainers for foreign nationals implicated in crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, battery, and robbery.
The arrests are part of the Trump administration’s pledge to increase enforcement against illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records.
“Teams are out there as of today,” said Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, in an appearance on America’s Newsroom. “We gave them direction to prioritize public safety threats that we’re looking for. We’ve been working up the target list.”
Homan emphasized that the initial focus is on individuals who pose significant threats to public safety, stating, “Right out of the gate it’s public safety threats, those who are in the country illegally that have been convicted, arrested for serious crime.”
This intensified effort follows an ICE report from the previous year revealing that over 420,000 convicted criminal illegal immigrants were free in the United States, with offenses ranging from homicide to kidnapping and drug-related charges.
