US deports hundreds as Trump begins crackdown on illegal immigrants

Trump. Photo: AP News | The Chronicle

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been deported from the United States following a directive from President Donald Trump to crack down on illegal immigration.

Trump had on his first day in office signed a series of executive orders aimed at tackling illegal immigration.

He also declared the situation at the United States and Mexico border as a national emergency, just as he designated criminal cartels as terrorist organisations. The US president stopped the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born in the US to undocumented immigrants.

Trump also signed an order suspending the US refugee resettlement programme for four months.

An enforcement operation began this week.

According to White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, 538 illegal immigrants were arrested in the first round of operations.

She wrote in a post on her X handle on Thursday, “The Trump administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals, including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors.”

However, according to the CBS News on Friday, two deportation flights had arrived overnight in Guatemala.

A Guatemalan migration official confirmed the arrivals, noting that one flight from El Paso carried 80 people, another flight from Tucson brought in 80 more, and a third flight from El Paso carried around 105 individuals.

Leavitt confirmed that the operation was far-reaching, stating, “The Trump Administration has also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft. The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway.”

This marked the beginning of an intensified effort to curb illegal immigration as part of Trump’s broader immigration policies.

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