The Trump administration is beginning to fly criminal illegal aliens out of the country after rounding them up as part of the long-promised mass deportation program.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that deportation flights have started and shared two pictures of what appears to be group of illegal immigrants walking into a military aircraft.
“Deportation flights have begun,” Leavitt said on X.
“President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”
The Trump administration launched its mass deportation campaign on day one and has rounded up hundreds of illegal alien criminals to start with. Under the direction of border czar Tom Homan, ICE has pursued a “worst first” strategy focused on finding and deporting criminal aliens who have committed violent crimes like murder and rape.
While aliens from countries that cooperate with the U.S. can be deported immediately, those coming from countries like Venezuela, which has long refused to take back their citizens, may need to be detained for weeks or even months while the administration negotiates their return.
President Donald Trump declared illegal immigration a national emergency on day one as part of a flurry of executive orders addressing the southern border and other key issues. The emergency declaration enables the administration to equip Department of Defense resources to assist with mass deportations.
The Pentagon announced earlier this week that it would respond to Trump’s emergency declaration by sending 1,500 troops to the border, a 60 percent increase in active ground forces, and provide military airlift to support the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation flights of more than five thousand illegal immigrants.
“President Trump directed action from the Department of Defense on securing our nation’s borders and made clear he expects immediate results. That is exactly what our military is doing under his leadership,” acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said in a statement.
On Thursday, federal law enforcement arrested 538 illegal migrants including a suspected terrorist, four gang members, and multiple aliens convicted of sex crimes. The Trump administration used military aircraft Thursday to deport hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals, Leavitt said.
Trump is expected to sign legislation, the Laken Riley Act, that will aid the administration’s deportation effort by requiring federal agents to detain illegal immigrants accused of theft and related crimes until they are deported. The bipartisan legislation passed the GOP-controlled House and Senate with significant Democratic support, a demonstration of how far public opinion has shifted in Trump’s favor on illegal immigration.
Public opinion polls show widespread support for deporting all the illegal immigrants who arrived under former president Joe Biden, a figure believed to be at least 11 million, and deporting all illegal immigrants with criminal rap sheets.