President Donald Trump has removed ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello from his leadership role after the agency failed to meet deportation goals set by the administration. Vitello will stay with ICE but will now oversee enforcement operations in the field.
Trump and border czar Tom Homan had expected a significant increase in arrests, aiming for between 1,200 and 1,500 each day. However, the highest daily total under Vitello’s leadership reached only 1,100. That discrepancy reportedly led to the decision to reassign him.
BREAKING: ICE conducted a worksite raid at a bakery in Texas. They arrested 8 illegal aliens and charged the owners with harboring and aiding illegal aliens.
The owners were charged with 8 USC 1324. This is the same statute Tom Homan has referenced multiple times.
Deport them… pic.twitter.com/PRjhcaxqia
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 21, 2025
The administration has also made other personnel changes within ICE. Two senior officials, Russell Hott and Peter Berg, were demoted and reassigned to field offices earlier this month. The administration is now searching for a permanent director who can fulfill Trump’s goals on immigration enforcement.
Abby's Bakery Los Fresnos, Texas admitting EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE was illegal and taken by ICE
“They took all the workers from here”
The business has already been updated on Google to say “Temporarily closed” pic.twitter.com/7PDgU9jlg3
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 15, 2025
In the interim, Madison Sheahan has been appointed as ICE’s deputy director, making her the highest-ranking official at the agency for now. Sheahan previously worked with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and has experience in enforcement-related roles.
ICE Arrests Texas Bakery Owners for Harboring Migrants https://t.co/zgBvz5W486
— FollowTheMoney (@F_T_M_I_N_L) February 22, 2025
Trump has directed ICE to accelerate deportations, emphasizing immigration enforcement as a key part of his second-term agenda. ICE operations in major cities have increased, but capacity limits at detention centers have posed challenges to further expanding the agency’s efforts.
During Trump’s first month back in office, ICE deported nearly 37,700 individuals. That figure is still lower than the previous administration’s monthly average of 57,000.
