A Department of Homeland Security source told the New York Post that ICE has made 113,000 arrests and carried out more than 100,000 deportations since Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
“He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” an ICE source told the outlet.
It remains unclear how many of the detainees are convicted criminals, what the status of their cases is, or their specific countries of origin — though sources believe the majority are being deported to Mexico, noted The Post.
Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a central theme of his campaign, and on his first day back in office, he declared a border emergency, deployed thousands of additional troops to the region, shut down the asylum process for illegal border crossers, and launched a nationwide mass deportation effort.
Since then, ICE has “maxed out” its detention capacity and is now requesting additional funding from Congress to expand bed space, following 32,000 arrests in just the first 50 days, The Post said.
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He has also taken sweeping action against transnational criminal groups, including invoking the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan gang members directly to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador—without trial.
Seventeen suspected members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs were transferred to El Salvador in shackles on Sunday night, despite a federal judge blocking the use of the rarely invoked wartime-era Alien Enemies Act earlier this month.
Meanwhile, illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped to levels not seen in decades — hitting a remarkable low in March — with Department of Homeland Security sources attributing the decline to what they’re calling “the Trump effect.”
“Illegal entries into the United States are no longer a backdoor way to getting status,” a source told The Post.
Border agents encountered just under 7,000 illegal crossings in March — a dramatic 94% drop from the 137,000 who crossed during the same month last year under President Joe Biden. This follows February’s total of roughly 8,300 illegal crossings, marking the lowest monthly figure in at least 25 years.
Migrants are “scared there are consequences now,” one DHS source told The Post, adding that “everyone who is caught is charged and does time.”
Most of the illegal crossings occurred in the San Diego and El Paso border sectors, according to sources. If these trends continue, the U.S. could see illegal migration drop to levels not recorded since 1968, said The Post.
During her daily show last week, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly expressed her belief that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts could be in a precarious position, depending on his decision regarding President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport illegal migrant gang members.
After a lower court judge ruled Trump’s use of the centuries-old law was improper — a decision upheld by a federal appellate court on Thursday — the administration filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. Kelly indicated on her SiriusXM program that Roberts may be the one Republican-appointed judge who would side against the president.
“John Roberts, above all, knows if he hands down a ruling telling the commander-in-chief that the nine men and women in black robes have the final say over what is perceived as a military threat unleashed on us by a foreign government, he’s on the thinnest of possible ice,” the host said. “He’s so obsessed with the court. I just can’t see him wanting to do it.”
