U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that its agents have been arresting illegal aliens at a rate approaching 700 per day since President Donald Trump took office.
ICE released a report Tuesday that showed arrests totaled 66,463 illegal aliens over the first 100 days under Trump's management, of which 65,682 were removed from the U.S. ICE said it has been "putting the worst first." Three in four of the arrests involved illegal alien criminals.
ICE acting Director Todd Lyons said the agency has taken a lot of bad actors off the streets of America, "including 2,288 gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street, and other gangs. Additionally, 1,329 were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder."
Lyons said that ICE has kept its focus on criminal aliens. "The criminal records of those arrested include convictions or charges for 9,639 assaults, 6,398 DWIs or DUIs, and 1,479 weapon offenses."
The government's approach to the issue includes recruiting partnerships with state and local law enforcement departments under what is referred to as its 287(g) Program, named for the specific section of U.S. immigration law that allows local departments to enforce some areas of federal immigration controls. ICE has seen a steady increase of departments stepping in to work with the government. There are now 579 signed or pending agreements, 444 of which have come on board since Trump was inaugurated.