On Friday, President Donald Trump fired Caleb Vitello from his position as the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was reassigned to a more direct enforcement role,, according to officials.
As reported by Trending Politics,
Vitello, who was appointed to lead ICE in an acting capacity at the start of Trump’s second term in January, will now oversee field operations, including the arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) framed the move as a change in direction to advance the president’s aggressive immigration agenda.
JUST NOW: The ICE Director, Caleb Vitello has just been fired.
This is because the rate of deportations has been lower than desired. pic.twitter.com/PeUeVhXrdB
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) February 21, 2025
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that Vitello has been moved. She revealed, “[Vitello] is no longer in an Administrative role, but is instead overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of the President and Secretary Noem.”
The shake-up follows another major personnel move earlier this month, when two high-ranking officials within ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division were reassigned. Since returning to office, Trump has prioritized stricter border enforcement, reviving policies from his first administration while enacting new measures to expand detention capacity and expedite removals.
The move is expected to heighten tensions with immigration advocates and Democratic-led states, many of which have already filed legal challenges against Trump’s sweeping immigration policies. But inside the administration, officials say more personnel changes could be on the horizon as Trump seeks to overhaul the agency to align with his enforcement-first approach.
Tom Homan, appointed by the White House to implement President Trump’s immigration policies across federal agencies, reported last week a significant increase in arrests within the U.S.—triple the number from last year under President Joe Biden. Despite the rise, Homan expressed his dissatisfaction.
🚨BREAKING: The Trump administration is replacing acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello because of the slow pace of deportations
Tom Homan has repeatedly said on live TV that he is "NOT HAPPY with the numbers because there are a lot of criminals to find." pic.twitter.com/E3laoF2lKI
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) February 21, 2025
“I’m not satisfied,” Homan declared. “We got to get more.”
He added that previously, “the number of releases was unacceptable,” but “that’s been fixed.”