The White House has announced that a large-scale deportation operation, as pledged by President Trump, has begun, with hundreds of individuals labeled as “illegal immigrant criminals” being arrested in the US on Thursday. The operation also saw numerous individuals removed from the country via military aircraft.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, revealed in a post on X that the Trump administration had taken into custody 538 individuals identified as illegal immigrant criminals. These included a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several individuals found guilty of sex crimes against minors. The Tren de Aragua is a notorious gang originating from Venezuela, which has recently made inroads into the US, becoming a contentious topic during the presidential campaign.
Furthermore, the 538 arrests comprised 373 individuals with criminal records and 165 individuals whose only criminal records were immigration offenses, according to details provided by a senior administration official. Another 1,041 individuals were either deported or repatriated as per the records.
Among those arrested included a 23-year-old Ecuadorian citizen, previously convicted of rape, who was apprehended in Buffalo. Another individual, from the Dominican Republic and convicted of continuous sexual conduct against a minor, was also arrested in Buffalo. In San Francisco, a man guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child aged 14 or younger, formerly sentenced to 12 years in prison, was detained by ICE.
Subsequently, a defense official confirmed two overnight flights heading for Guatemala, as per two sources. A Guatemalan migration official reported three flights arriving: one from El Paso early on Friday morning carrying 80 individuals, a second from Tucson with another 80 people arriving around 7 a.m., and a third from El Paso carrying around 105 individuals arriving Friday afternoon.
Leavitt added that the Trump administration deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals using military aircraft, labeling it as the largest mass deportation operation in history.
Upon landing in Asheville, North Carolina, President Trump was questioned about the deportation flights. He responded positively, stating that they were removing the “bad, hard criminals” first and that the operation was progressing smoothly.
The plan to utilize military aircraft for deportation was approved during the Trump administration, not the Biden administration. This move is part of the steps announced by the acting secretary of defense on Wednesday following President Trump’s executive directive instructing the US military to increase its presence on the border.
President Trump, during his campaign, vowed to clamp down on illegal immigration and initiated his second term with a series of executive actions aimed at reforming the US immigration system.
It is estimated that there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, with many residing in the country for several years.
On Thursday, Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, shared a statement that ICE agents had raided a local establishment, detaining undocumented residents and citizens without producing a warrant. Among those detained during the raid was a US military veteran.
Eleanor Watson and José Diaz also contributed to this report.
