The Trump administration has replaced the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over slow deportation numbers. Caleb Vitello, who had been serving as the acting director, is being reassigned within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A DHS spokesperson confirmed that while Vitello is no longer in an administrative role, he will still oversee ICE’s field and enforcement operations, including the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants.
The move comes as the Trump administration grows increasingly frustrated with the pace of arrests and deportations. Since taking office, President Trump has pushed for stricter immigration enforcement, with deportations being a key focus. However, deportation numbers have not met expectations. During Trump’s first month in office, nearly 38,000 people were deported, a drop from the 57,000 monthly average during the final year of the Obama administration.
According to the Wall Street Journal, top officials in the Trump administration had been putting increasing pressure on ICE to boost its daily arrests.
Vitello, a career government official, had been selected by President Trump to lead ICE because of his close work with the administration’s immigration team. His removal follows the ousting of two other high-ranking ICE officials earlier this month. Despite this leadership change, Vitello will continue his work overseeing deportation efforts, which remain a key focus for the Trump administration.
Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to ramping up deportations. “I will promise you that every element and instrument of national power will be used to remove, with speed, all criminal illegals from the soil of the United States,” he told reporters.
