Why Mass Deportations Have Hit a Roadblock

What’s happening: Mass deportations under the Trump administration have been off to a slower start than expected, reportedly frustrating the president. Despite rhetoric promising widespread removals of dangerous illegals, the reality has fallen short as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) struggles with inefficiencies, resources, and logistical setbacks.

• Not all bad: Border Czar Tom Homan pointed out that southwestern border crossings were only at 229 per day, versus as many as 11,000 per day under Biden. "I started as a Border Patrol Agent in 1984, and I don’t remember the numbers ever being that low,” he remarked.

The numbers: ICE initially registered over 1,000 arrests per day but stopped releasing numbers in early February. Around 14 percent of arrests are non-criminals, which is only a six percent increase from the Biden administration. This increase is a consequence of Homan’s “collateral” arrests policy, which allows authorities to detain illegals — such as friends or family members — found in close proximity to the primary targets.

1) Inefficient raids: The first problem ICE is running into is inefficiencies in their raids. For instance, they will conduct a raid, like recently at a major seafood distributor in Newark, New Jersey, where the significant time and resources required only result in — in this case — three arrests, two of whom were released on bond.

2) Under-resourced: Holding facilities are at 109 percent capacity, forcing them to release illegal migrants from custody. It is also important to note that migrant arrests are not the same as deportations — it often takes ICE months to process these individuals before deporting them.

3) Logistical and legal hurdles: President Trump recently ordered the use of Guantanamo Bay to house around 30,000 illegal migrants. However, the high cost and logistical challenges of such a massive operation remain major roadblocks. A federal court already blocked Trump from sending three illegal Venezuelan migrants to the prison.

Why it matters: Americans overwhelmingly approve of President Trump’s mass deportation effort, but pressure is mounting on Tom Homan and Homeland Security to increase their numbers. If they struggle to bring them up, Trump may be quick to fire agency leaders, or the public may ultimately blame Trump for overpromising on this crucial aspect of his agenda.