White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t hold back. She told ABC News’ Mary Bruce that every illegal immigrant has a “criminal record.” The reason? They broke U.S. law just by entering.
ICE is cracking down hard. The agency is targeting illegal immigrants with serious criminal records. In the first week of Trump’s administration, ICE arrested about 3,500 people. Many were gang members or convicted of horrific crimes like child sex abuse, rape, and robbery.
Bruce pressed for details. She wanted numbers on those with a criminal past versus those just here illegally. “3,500 arrests ICE has made so far since President Trump came back into office,” Bruce said. “Can you just tell us the numbers, how many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally?”
Leavitt’s response was firm. “All of them,” she said. “They illegally broke our nation’s laws and therefore they are criminals as far as this administration goes.” She pointed out the shift in policy. “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that’s what they are.”
The Trump administration is moving fast. Hundreds of criminal migrants have been deported on military aircraft. ICE arrested 956 migrants on Sunday. Another 1,100 were taken into custody Monday. These numbers are far higher than the daily average under Biden, which was just 310 arrests per day.
Some of the most dangerous criminals were caught Thursday. Among 538 arrests, there was a suspected terrorist and four members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang. Others included sex offenders convicted of crimes against children. Tom Homan told NewsNation that at least 1,000 of the 1,300 arrested that day had criminal records.
Boston ICE agents made shocking arrests. A Brazilian national wanted for armed robbery. An El Salvadoran charged with rape. A Dominican migrant accused of assault with a deadly weapon and heroin trafficking. A Haitian gang member with 17 prior convictions was caught on video praising Biden and Obama, insisting he wouldn’t “go back” to his country.
Another brutal case in Massachusetts. ICE arrested a Dominican national who beat his wife to death in front of her 5-year-old son. That arrest happened Monday.
Leavitt confirmed even more action. Trump signed an order cutting off funding for NGOs that help illegal immigrants enter the U.S. He also ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to overhaul the visa vetting process. The goal? Make sure countries are “completely transparent” with the U.S.
Trump wasted no time on border security. On day one, he declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. That unlocked extra resources to fight the migrant crisis. He also reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy. And in a major move, he signed an order to revoke birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.