Hundreds of migrants arrested, flown out of US as part of Trump’s deportation operation

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump's administration on Thursday "arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals," adding "hundreds" were deported by military aircraft.
Migrants who were deported from the US to Mexico wave as they are transported to a shelter, as they cross El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, late Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Migrants who were deported from the US to Mexico wave as they are transported to a shelter, as they cross El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, late Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Photo | AP
Updated on
3 min read

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of migrants in the United States were arrested Thursday and others flown out of the country on military aircraft as President Donald Trump's promised mass deportation operation got underway, the White House said.

The crackdown came as Trump prepared to head on Friday to California and North Carolina, where natural disasters have turned into political footballs, in his first trip since his return to office.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump's administration on Thursday "arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals," adding "hundreds" were deported by military aircraft.

"The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway," she said in a post on social media platform X.

On Thursday, the Democratic mayor of the city of Newark, New Jersey, Ras Baraka, said in a statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents "raided a local establishment...detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant." Baraka said one of those detained during the raid was a US military veteran.

ICE announced "538 arrests" and "373 detainers lodged" in an "enforcement update" on X.

ICE lodges detainers for non-citizens who have been arrested on criminal charges and who the agency believes can be deported under the law in order to keep them in custody.

There are an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the US.

Migrants who were deported from the US to Mexico wave as they are transported to a shelter, as they cross El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, late Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Mexican border states prepare migrant shelters as Trump begins deportation campaign

Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.

He has signed orders declaring a "national emergency" at the southern border and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport "criminal aliens."

His administration said it would also reinstate a "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevailed during Trump's first presidency, under which people who apply to enter the United States from Mexico must remain there until their application has been decided.

The White House has also halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.

Earlier in the week the Republican-led US Congress green-lit a bill to expand pretrial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects.

And on another whirlwind day in his first week as president, Trump told Fox News he would "rather not" impose tariffs on China, after repeated vows to hit America's biggest economic rival with hefty import levies.

The Republican also said he would reach out to Kim Jong Un again, calling the North Korean leader he previously met three times a "smart guy."

Mexico sets up migrant shelters for deportees

Mexican soldiers rushed Thursday to set up emergency shelters near the border with the United States ahead of President Donald Trump's threatened mass deportations.

The Mexican government said it planned to open nine shelters for its citizens and three more for deported foreigners, without clarifying the total capacity, under a scheme called "Mexico embraces you."

President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that Mexico would provide humanitarian assistance to deported migrants from other countries before repatriating them.

On Thursday, she said that two of the reception centers were expected to be ready by the end of the day and the others by the weekend.

They will be equipped with kitchens and bathrooms and will offer food, health services and counseling.

In the northeastern city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, navy personnel were seen erecting a shelter on a large sports field, according to an AFP correspondent.

The facilities included olive-green tents for military personnel who will be in charge of security, as well as a metal structure that will house tents for the deportees.

The Matamoros shelter--one of three being built in Tamaulipas state--will be able to accommodate around 3,000 people, according to municipal authorities.

"We expect to receive 200 to 250 people a day," said Alberto Granados, mayor of the city on the banks of the Rio Grande river which snakes along the border.

Last week another Mexican border city, Tijuana, just south of California, declared an emergency to free up funds to deal with the potential arrival of deportees.

Carlos Pena, the mayor of Reynosa, across the border from Texas, warned this week that "there is not enough space" in shelters and the situation could become "critical."

Mexico's government announced in December that it would launch a mobile app with an alert button for migrants facing imminent detention in the United States, where there are several million undocumented Mexicans.

Migrants who were deported from the US to Mexico wave as they are transported to a shelter, as they cross El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, late Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Immigrant detention beds may be maxed out as Trump moves to deport 'millions and millions'

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com