Caleb Vitello, formerly the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been removed from his position in a renewed effort to meet higher arrest and deportation targets.
The Trump administration has reassigned Vitello, aiming to ramp up deportations by installing Madison Sheahan, previously with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, to replace him, as the Daily Mail reports.
Last Friday, the Trump administration made the decision to reassign Vitello, a career officer with a history of serving under the president during his first term. Vitello had been unable to reach the administration’s ambitious deportation goals, prompting a change in leadership at one of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies.
Despite the pressure to accelerate deportations, Vitello was not severed from the agency entirely. Instead, he will take on a new role within ICE, overseeing field and enforcement operations. This transition is described by an agency spokesperson as an opportunity for him to step into a more strategic position, rather than remaining in purely administrative duties.
Vitello is the third senior official from ICE to be repositioned in this current month. This shift reflects the Trump administration’s growing dissatisfaction with the agency’s performance in terms of fulfilling its stringent deportation mandate. The administration had set ambitious targets, directing deportation officials to aim for arrest quotas involving 1,500 illegal migrants daily and 75 arrests per field office.
President Trump, during his campaign, vowed a rigorous immigration crackdown, appealing to voters by promising stringent enforcement and increased deportations. However, within his first month back in power, only 37,660 deportations were documented. This figure is lower than the monthly average recorded during President Joe Biden's last full year in office, highlighting a shortfall in expectations.
The appointment of Madison Sheahan as the new acting director is indicative of a strategic reboot at ICE. Her selection follows connections with Kristi Noem, the new Homeland Security secretary and former governor of South Dakota, who reportedly shares close professional ties with Sheahan.
In the coming months, the administration anticipates an uptick in deportation activities, facilitated by a series of new international agreements. These arrangements involve countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica, which have agreed to accept deportees from other nations.
Additionally, the Trump administration is leveraging military resources to support these deportation efforts. More than a dozen flights carrying deportees to various countries have been conducted by the U.S. military. These actions underscore the administration's commitment to reclaiming control over immigration and national security policies.
A particularly controversial measure underway involves the relocation of Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo Bay, with plans to detain up to 30,000 migrants at the facility. This action exemplifies the administration’s hardline stance on immigration enforcement and border security.
The administration has cited what it deems "artificially high" deportation numbers during the Biden era, attributing them to increased levels of illegal immigration. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, emphasized the disparity between past and current enforcement levels.
The change in leadership within ICE signifies a pivotal moment for the agency, as it navigates expectations from the Trump administration to perform more assertively. With the transition of power to Sheahan, the administration is hopeful that ICE’s operational dynamics will align more closely with presidential directives.
As ICE regroups under its renewed leadership, the increased focus on deportations is expected to continue dominating the federal agenda, reflecting President Trump’s broader goals of stringent immigration control.
