Talks are big, action is slow, Trump is sluggish in the deportation campaign

Trump had promised in election rallies that he would expel illegal immigrants from America under the biggest deportation campaign in history. But after returning to power, his operation has not gained the momentum as expected. The reality is that Trump has not yet reached anywhere near the number of people expelled from America in the last year of the Biden administration. Despite big claims, his deportation campaign seems to be sluggish.
According to a Reuters report, the Trump administration deported 37,660 people from the country in January 2025, which is far less than the average of 57,000 per month in the last full year of Joe Biden’s term. However, senior Trump administration officials say the number of deportations will accelerate in the coming months, as new avenues for arrests and expulsions are now being opened.

DHS spokeswoman Trisha McLaughlin said the number of deportations appeared high during the Biden administration because the number of illegal immigrants was high at that time. The Trump administration is now making agreements with many countries to speed up deportations. Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica have now agreed to take deported immigrants from other countries. In this connection, the US military has transported deportees to Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and India through dozens of special flights.

The Trump administration has begun sending Venezuelan migrants to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. In late January, Trump announced plans to house 30,000 migrants there, a move that has sparked outrage from human rights groups.

Deportation speeds up even without a criminal record
The Trump administration is now targeting even those immigrants who have no criminal record but against whom a final deportation order has been issued. Recently, the Justice Department has issued a new directive, which allows ICE officers to make arrests from within immigration courts. Apart from this, the US has declared seven other gangs and drug cartels, including Venezuela’s notorious criminal gang, as terrorist organizations. This step will make it even easier to deport immigrants associated with them.

Rise in arrests
The Trump administration arrested more than 14,000 migrants in its first three weeks, almost double the previous average rate. But experts believe that despite the initial progress, it will not be easy to speed up this campaign. ICE currently has the capacity to detain 41,100 migrants, while discussions are going on to increase it in the new budget. The Senate recently passed a proposal of $ 340 billion, which includes border security, deportation, relaxation in energy policy and military spending. However, there are still differences among Republican leaders on how this amount will be spent.