World
India
The U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, has taken swift action to fulfill his promise of mass deportations, marking the beginning of what is being called the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. As part of this initiative, migrants who had entered the United States illegally were seen handcuffed and standing in a queue, making their way towards military C-17 aircrafts for deportation. The White House shared powerful images of the detained migrants, referring to the operation as Trump’s “strong message to the world.”
“Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences,” stated the White House on social media platform X.
Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences. pic.twitter.com/yqgtF1RX6K
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 24, 2025
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
The deportation operation began with two military flights, each carrying around 80 migrants, from the U.S. to Guatemala. The U.S. State Department confirmed this, stating, “Guatemala and the United States are committed to putting an end to illegal migration and strengthening border security. Starting with two flights today.”
This mass deportation comes only days after Trump’s inauguration for his second term as President. Deporting individuals who entered the U.S. illegally was one of Trump’s central campaign promises. His administration wasted no time in pushing forward with this plan. On January 20, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Pentagon to send as many troops as necessary to take complete operational control of the southern U.S. border. He also declared a “national emergency” at the southern border, leading to the deployment of troops and the enforcement of strict deportation measures, particularly for “criminal aliens.”
Shortly after, the promised crackdown on illegal immigrants began. On Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released an “enforcement update” on X, stating that they had made “538 arrests” and lodged “373 detainers” for individuals suspected of being deportable under the law. The ICE policy calls for the detention of non-citizens arrested for crimes who might also be eligible for deportation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the scale of the operation, calling it “the largest massive deportation operation in history.” As of now, estimates suggest that between 11 and 14 million undocumented immigrants reside in the United States, though Trump has claimed the number could be as high as 20 to 25 million. His administration has prioritized deporting individuals with criminal records, totaling 655,000 individuals, as well as 1.4 million who have already been issued deportation orders.
The Pentagon has confirmed that the U.S. military will be involved in providing flights for deporting detained migrants, with flights currently organized from major border areas like El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
