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Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported over 100,000 individuals and made more than 113,000 arrests, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) source who spoke to The Post on Monday.
The surge in removals comes as part of President Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement strategy, which began immediately after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
On his first day in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border, deployed thousands of troops, suspended the asylum system for those entering the country illegally, and launched a nationwide deportation effort.
“He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” an ICE source told The Post.
ICE has reportedly reached full capacity in its detention facilities and is now asking Congress to approve funding for additional beds.
The request comes after ICE arrested 32,000 individuals in the first 50 days of the Trump administration’s mass deportation initiative.
Although officials have not released detailed information on how many of the detainees are convicted criminals or what their national origins are, sources believe that the majority of deportees are being sent to Mexico.
In addition to ramping up arrests and removals, President Trump has implemented measures targeting transnational criminal organizations.
One such move involved invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used statute dating back to the 18th century, to deport members of Venezuelan gangs without trial.
On Sunday night, 17 alleged gang members from Tren de Aragua and MS-13 were transferred in shackles to a high-security prison in El Salvador, despite a federal judge having blocked the use of the Alien Enemies Act earlier in the month.
Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have also dropped significantly.
DHS sources described the decline as “the Trump effect,” attributing the drop to the administration’s strict enforcement policies and emphasis on consequences for those entering the country illegally.
“Illegal entries into the United States are no longer a backdoor way to getting status,” a DHS source said.
In March, just under 7,000 illegal migrants crossed into the U.S., marking a 94% drop compared to the 137,000 who entered during the same month in 2024 under Joe Biden.
February also saw a sharp decline, with approximately 8,300 crossings—reportedly the lowest monthly total in at least 25 years.
“Everyone who is caught is charged and does time,” a DHS source stated.
“Migrants are scared there are consequences now.”
Most of the illegal crossings in recent weeks have occurred in the San Diego and El Paso border sectors, according to sources familiar with the data.
If the current pace continues, 2025 could see the lowest number of illegal border crossings since 1968.
President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies remain one of the defining issues of his administration, with ICE and DHS agencies moving swiftly to implement the directives.
As deportations continue to rise and border crossings decline, the administration has signaled it will continue pushing for greater resources to maintain and expand the current crackdown.
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