ICE Acting Director Dismissed as Deportation Rates Fall Short of Expectations; Assumes Role Overseeing Enforcement Operations
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:50 PM – Friday, February 21, 2025
The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Caleb Vitello, has been ousted from his position, as officials have cited current deportation figures that fail to meet anticipated targets.
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Despite his removal, Vitello will remain with ICE, now tasked with overseeing “all field and enforcement operations: identifying, apprehending, and deporting undocumented individuals,” according to a Department of Homeland Security representative who spoke with Politico.
Previously, following directives from his superiors, Vitello aimed for a target of 1,200-1,400 arrests of undocumented individuals daily. However, statistics from ICE indicate the highest recorded daily total has only reached 1,100 thus far.
Vitello’s ousting comes on the heels of several news reports indicating that President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan have expressed frustration over the administration’s deportation figures, expecting significantly higher outcomes in terms of deportations of undocumented aliens.
The spokesperson emphasized that it is a “major priority” for President Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to appoint a more qualified director.
Additionally, Madison Sheahan, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, will be joining ICE as the deputy director — serving as the interim head of ICE until a new director is appointed, according to Reuters.
Sheahan previously collaborated with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her tenure as governor of South Dakota.
Trump’s 2024 campaign has centered on securing the southern border and executing the deportation of millions of undocumented individuals who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. He considers mass deportation a crucial aspect of his 47th presidency.
Vitello’s demotion follows closely after the removal of two other ICE officials, Russell Hott and Peter Berg, from their respective top positions within ICE’s enforcement division, who were reassigned to the agency’s field offices in Washington and St. Paul, Minnesota.
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