Acting ICE Director Vitello removed for failing to meet impossible deportation quotas

| Importance: 8/10 | Status: confirmed

Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello, a 20-year ICE veteran, was removed from his position on February 21, 2025, after failing to meet deportation quotas of 3,000 daily arrests despite only achieving 1,200-1,400 per day. Vitello was reassigned to a senior enforcement role after just one month leading the agency. His removal came despite Trump praising his “exceptional leadership” when appointing him in December. The administration deported 37,660 people in Trump’s first month, far less than Biden’s monthly average of 57,000.

Key Actors

Caleb Vitello ICE Donald Trump Department of Homeland Security

Tags

personnel-purges impossible-quotas loyalty-tests deportation-quotas

Sources (3)

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