More than 480,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested nationwide since President Donald Trump took office in January, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
"Since January, the Department of Homeland Security has arrested over 480,000 criminal illegal aliens. 70 percent of those individuals have criminal charges against them or have been convicted of those criminal charges," Noem said at a news conference in Florida on Monday.
The announcement highlights the Trump administration's intensified focus on immigration enforcement during its second term.
"Across the country, we're making communities safer so that families can thrive and they can prosper and they can enjoy the kind of freedom that this country was established to provide," she added.
Last month, the department announced that 2 million illegal immigrants have left the US since January 20. According to a statement, the total includes around 1.6 million voluntary self-deportations and over 400,000 formal deportations in less than 250 days.
'Record breaking'
Separately, Trump on Monday praised what he described as "record-breaking" law enforcement activity under his administration, citing new statistics from the FBI on violent crime, drug seizures and child protection operations.
"The FBI, under my Administration, is doing an incredible job. Since January 20th, more than 28,000 Violent Criminals have been arrested (record breaking!), with over 6,000 illegal weapons seized, more than 1,700 child predators and 300 human traffickers taken off the streets," he said on his Truth Social.
He added that 5,000 children had been rescued and that agents had seized 1,900 kilograms of fentanyl, which he said was "enough to kill 125 million people."
"We are bringing LAW AND ORDER back to America. Kash, Dan, Andrew, and the men and women of the FBI, are doing a tremendous job, MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!" he said.
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Source: TRT