US authorities arrested 538 illegal immigrants and deported hundreds more in a large-scale operation just days into President Donald Trump’s second term, his press secretary announced late Thursday.
“The Trump Administration arrested 538 criminal illegal immigrants,” Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on social media platform X. “Hundreds have already been deported via military aircraft. The largest mass deportation operation in history is officially underway. Promises made. Promises kept.”
Trump had pledged a hardline stance on illegal immigration during his campaign and began his second term with a series of executive actions aimed at reforming US entry policies.
The president signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern border, deploying additional troops to the area, and vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
On Thursday morning, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka condemned an operation in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a local business, detaining both undocumented immigrants and citizens without producing a warrant.
Earlier in the week, the Republican-controlled US Congress passed a bill expanding pretrial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects, signaling further tightening of immigration and detention policies.
AFP
