(NewsNation) — Caleb Vitello, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been removed from his job, NewsNation has confirmed through DHS sources.
Vitello’s removal comes as President Donald Trump has expressed anger and frustration over the number of arrests of migrants being made by ICE since he took office. Raids conducted by ICE in cities like Chicago and other cities with high migrant populations began immediately after Trump took office.
LAFD chief removed over handling of LA fires
But amid reports that Trump and his “border czar” Tom Homan expected between 1,200 and 1,500 arrests to be made per day across the country, the number of migrant apprehensions has diminished in recent weeks. According to reports, the Trump administration was seeking individual ICE offices to make 75 arrests per day.
Homan said last week that ICE agents arrested about 14,000 migrants during Trump’s first three weeks in the White House, which represented 667 arrests per day. The daily average was twice that being made on a daily basis in 2024.
ICE arrests spiked to about 800-1,200 daily arrests during Trump’s first week in office, but then fell off as migrant detention centers filled up.
Vitello has been reassigned within the agency, multiple media outlets reported on Friday. ICE did not immediately return an email seeking comment from NewsNation on Friday.
Vitello has spent more than 23 years with the agency, according to his bio. As acting director, Vitello oversaw a workforce of more than 20,000 people, including federal law enforcement officers, attorneys and mission support personnel, the agency said.
Before being appointed the acting director, Vitello most recently served as the assistant director for the Office of Firearms and Tactical programs. The agency said between 2015 and 2020, Vitello earned four ICE Director’s Awards in Meritourious Service, Core Value, Protecting the Homeland and Efficiency Through Innovation.
This is a developing story. NewsNation will update the story as more information becomes available.
