Trump launches largest deportation operation in U.S. history

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Trump launches largest deportation operation in U.S. history
Trump launches largest deportation operation in U.S. history

President Donald Trump has begun flying ‘illegal immigrant criminals’ out of the United States yesterday in what he calls the ‘largest deportation operation’ in American history.

More than 500 arrests were made yesterday before the first flights out of the United States began this evening.

One of the flights reportedly left El Paso, Texas for Guatemala, with photos of immigrants deboarding the plane shared on social media.

Just days ago, the Pentagon began deploying as many as 1,500 active-duty troops to help secure the US-Mexico border.

The executive order, posted to the White House website, wrote of Trump’s plan to prevent undocumented immigrants from ‘invading’ communities and costing state and local government.

And a policy which previously restricted officer’s abilities to arrest undocumented immigrants at ‘sensitive’ locations, such as schools, churches and hospitals, has been rolled back.

The US Department of Homeland Security said: ‘Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.

‘The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.’

Handout picture released by Guatemalan Migration Institute shows Guatemalan migrants descending from an US military plane after being deported from US at the Guatemalan Air Force Base in Guatemala City on January 24, 2025. Two US military planes carrying dozens of deported Guatemalans arrived in Guatemala city on January 24, following the announcement of Donald Trump administration of a massive operation to deport migrants, official authorities reported. (Photo by Guatemalan Migration Institute / Guatemalan Migration Institute / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Guatemalan Migration Institute / HANDOUT / " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by GUATEMALAN MIGRATION INSTITUTE/Guatemalan Migration Institute/AFP via Getty Images) qhiddqiddqiqkqinv

The US ‘border czar’ said officers can arrest undocumented immigrants who aren’t suspected of crimes (Picture: AFP)

Tom Homan, Trump’s ‘border czar’, also claimed officers could arrest undocumented immigrants who aren’t suspected of crimes, but who are ‘near’ those who are arrest targets.

Chicago, one of the sanctuary cities where people are not asked about their immigration status, is expected to be an early target. Up to 200 immigration enforcement officers are being sent there for the operation, the outlet reports.

New York City is thought to be on the list too, another major city where migrants and immigrants are protected as local authorities do not disclose their details to the government.

The plan for the immigration sweep comes after Trump vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation of undocumented people in the country’s history, sparking anxiety among communities and rights groups.

Guatemalan migrants board a bus after arriving at La Aurora Air Force Base on a deportation flight from the U.S., in Guatemala City, Guatemala, January 24, 2025. Instituto Guatemalteco de Migracion/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Trump has been clear on his views of immigration (Picture: Reuters)

And days ago, Trump landed his first major immigration win, with a bill requiring illegal migrants accused of violent crimes to be detained heading to his desk.

The House passed the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday as 46 Democrats sided with Republicans to give it final approval with a 263-156 vote. The Senate passed the bill earlier this week.

It was named after Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was 22 when she was murdered by an illegal migrant, Jose Ibarra, from Venezuela last year. Riley was going for a run when she was killed and Ibarra was convicted and given a life sentence without parole.

The act calls for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants accused of ‘burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting’.

Elizabeth Baker

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