US authorities have detained 538 illegal immigrants and deported hundreds of them within days of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, as reported by Trump’s press-secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump’s administration has detained 538 illegal immigrant criminals, Leavitt reported, adding that hundreds were deported using military aircraft.
“The largest mass deportation operation in history is in full swing. Promises are made. Promises are kept,” she said.
During the election campaign, Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and began his second term with a series of executive orders aimed at reviewing entry into the United States.
He has signed orders declaring a state of emergency at the southern border and announced the deployment of troops in the border area, while promising to deport “criminal aliens”.
The mayor of Newark City, Ras J. Baraka, said in a statement early Thursday that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the raid “detained both undocumented residents and citizens without presenting a warrant”.
Earlier this week, the Republican-run US Congress passed a law extending pre-trial detention to suspected aliens.