Since returning to the Oval Office on January 20, President Donald Trump’s administration has been laser-focused on fulfilling his promise to secure the U.S. border. With over 515,000 illegal aliens deported in just under a year, the administration is on pace to shatter previous records, aiming to hit an astonishing 600,000 deportations by the end of Trump’s first year back in office.
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, revealed that the numbers continue to climb, with more than two million illegal aliens leaving the U.S. since Trump resumed his presidency. This includes 1.6 million voluntary self-deportations and over 515,000 formal deportations. Additionally, DHS has arrested another 485,000 illegal aliens under the Trump administration.
McLaughlin emphasized that this effort is “just the beginning,” noting that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Trump administration have revitalized an agency that was previously hindered by bureaucratic and political roadblocks. "Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequence," McLaughlin said. Migrants are even turning back before reaching U.S. borders, with a 99.99% drop in migration through Panama’s Darien Gap, a key route into the U.S.
Despite facing numerous injunctions from activist judges, DHS has continued to make historic progress in executing Trump’s promise to arrest and deport illegal aliens. McLaughlin proudly pointed to ongoing efforts to capture the "worst of the worst" criminal illegals, even amid a government shutdown. Recent sweeps have resulted in the arrest of criminals convicted of heinous crimes such as child rape, assault, kidnapping, and hit-and-run.
Some of the worst offenders include Erick Xavier Romero, a Dominican national convicted of child rape in Boston, and German Osvaldo Cortez-Chajon, a Guatemalan national convicted of attempting to meet a child for unlawful sex in Alabama. Other arrests included Mexican national Graciano Lopez-Flores, convicted of indecent liberties with a child, and several others linked to crimes across the U.S.
McLaughlin made it clear that not even a government shutdown would stop the Trump administration’s mission. "While Democrats in Congress continue to keep the government shutdown, our ICE law enforcement officers aren’t slowing down in arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens," she declared.
This unprecedented effort to remove illegal aliens from the U.S. not only strengthens national security but also underscores Trump’s commitment to making America safe again. With the Trump administration continuing to press forward, it’s clear that the fight for border security and law enforcement integrity is far from over.
