OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:50 PM – Friday, February 21, 2025
The acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Caleb Vitello, has been removed from his post, with administration officials explaining that the current deportation numbers are not meeting expectations.
Nevertheless, Vitello will stay on with ICE, but he will now oversee “all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens,” according to an anonymous Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who reached out to Politico.
Following orders from his superiors, Vitello previously aimed for a daily quota of 1,200-1,400 daily arrests of illegal aliens. However, ICE statistics have shown that the highest daily total has been just 1,100 so far.
Vitello’s removal follows after multiple news outlets reported that President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan have begun to feel frustrated regarding the administration’s deportation numbers—expecting much higher numbers in relation to illegal alien deportations.
The spokesperson noted that it’s a “major priority” for President Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to find a better qualified director.
Additionally, Madison Sheahan, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, will join ICE as the deputy director — making her the top ICE official until the role of director is filled, according to Reuters.
Sheahan previously worked with Homeland Security Kristi Noem during her time as governor of South Dakota.
Trump ran his 2024 campaign on securing the southern border, while deporting millions of illegal aliens who have flooded into the country during the Biden administration. Trump prioritized the mass deportation campaign as an integral part of his 47th presidency.
Vitello’s demotion follows less than two weeks after two other ICE officials were similarly removed from their posts. Russell Hott and Peter Berg, the two other ICE officials, previously held top positions within ICE’s enforcement division — before being demoted and returning to the agency’s field office in Washington, as well as St. Paul, Minnesota.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts