Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained 308 individuals on President Donald Trump's first full day back in office, according to border czar Tom Homan. The nationwide arrests, which included individuals charged with murder, rape, and other violent crimes, marked the administration's swift action to enforce stricter immigration policies.
"ICE is doing their job," Homan said Wednesday, emphasizing the focus on apprehending undocumented individuals who pose a threat to public safety. He noted there are an estimated 700,000 undocumented migrants nationwide considered public safety risks.
Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) commented on the operation in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Today, ICE made 308 arrests of illegal aliens in our nation's interior-even with the frigid temperatures," Britt wrote. She highlighted that the arrests spanned across various regions and included several individuals with serious criminal charges, including murder and sexual offenses.
After returning to the White House on Monday, Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration and strengthening border enforcement. The actions, consistent with his campaign promises, have been lauded by Republicans as a return to a tough-on-immigration approach.
"These arrests were nationwide in every area of interest and included several murderers, rapists, sex offenders, and kidnappers," Britt added. She also noted that ICE officials transferred nearly 300 additional undocumented migrants from local jails into federal custody rather than releasing them into communities. "Common sense is back," she wrote.
Homan, who has long advocated for more aggressive immigration enforcement, reaffirmed the administration's commitment to targeting individuals in sanctuary jurisdictions, even without local cooperation. The feds would still "wait til they get out of jail, then we'll go out into the neighborhoods and get them," Homan said in a previous interview with The New York Post.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions over immigration policy. Advocacy organizations and some Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized Trump's executive actions. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit, claiming the orders conflict with constitutional protections.
Attorneys general from 22 Democratic-led states have also launched legal challenges, opposing Trump's executive orders, including his call to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants.
