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In the first 50 days of President Donald Trump's administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over 32,000 migrants living in the United States without legal status. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), these arrests include a significant number of individuals with criminal backgrounds.
Of those arrested, more than 14,000 were convicted criminals, and nearly 10,000 had pending criminal charges. The remaining 8,718 individuals were identified as having violated U.S. immigration laws. Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, emphasized that these arrests surpass the figures from the previous administration, marking a shift in focus to interior enforcement rather than just border apprehensions.
ICE's efforts are part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to increase deportations, particularly targeting those with criminal records. President Trump has expressed intentions to deport up to 1 million illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
"We ended catch [and] release, and we have returned ICE to its core mission, which is arresting people who violate our immigration law," acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. "Secretary Noem and I are changing the culture of ICE to one of action and accountability."