PressAdda
Washington: As part of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, hundreds of immigrants were arrested on Thursday, with some being deported via military aircraft, the White House announced.
The arrests were reported as Trump prepared for his first post-election visits to California and North Carolina on Friday.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated that the Trump administration arrested 538 undocumented immigrant offenders on Thursday, with hundreds deported using military planes.
“This is the largest deportation campaign in history,” Levitt wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Trump had promised during his election campaign to take strong actions against illegal immigration. This week, he initiated executive orders as part of his second-term plans to reform entry into the United States.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump reiterated his tough stance on China, the U.S.’s “biggest economic competitor,” but clarified there would be no immediate increase in import tariffs against China, despite his frequent campaign promises.
Regarding North Korea, Trump mentioned his three previous meetings with leader Kim Jong Un and referred to him as a “smart man.”
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an order declaring a “national emergency” at the southern border. He labeled undocumented immigrants as “criminal aliens” and pledged to deport them while deploying additional military forces to the border region.
The United States is estimated to have around 11 million undocumented immigrants.
On Thursday, Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, issued a statement condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for raiding a local establishment and detaining undocumented or improperly documented foreign residents.
Baraka mentioned that one of those arrested during the raids was a former U.S. military veteran.
According to an updated report by ICE on X, 538 individuals were arrested, and 373 were held in custody. ICE typically detains non-citizens with criminal charges who are eligible for deportation under U.S. law.
(*Source: RSS/AFP*)
