The Trump administration has reassigned its top official at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Caleb Vitello, after the agency's arrests and deportations have been slower than expected. According to a senior administration official and two other sources familiar with the matter, Vitello was in the role in an acting capacity and had been grappling with pressure to step up enforcement after other top ICE officials were reassigned days earlier. The administration reportedly wants to increase the rate of deportations and arrests, with a goal of making nearly 25,000 immigration-related arrests in the first 30 days of Trump's second presidency.

A spokeswoman for the homeland security department stated that Vitello is "actually being elevated so he is no longer in an administrative role, but is overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens". This move is seen as an attempt to increase accountability within the agency and to prioritize the enforcement of immigration laws. The White House is expected to announce a new acting director, and the ICE team is going to be expanded to achieve the administration's goals.

Vitello was hand-picked by Trump last December and has 23 years of experience with ICE. He was appointed as Assistant Director of the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, where he oversaw Agency-wide training, equipment, and policy to ensure Officer and Public Safety. The latest reshuffling follows the recent reassignment of Russell Hott and Peter Berg at ICE due to frustrations from the Trump administration over the rate of deportations and arrest numbers. The administration has made it clear that it wants to see a significant increase in the number of arrests and deportations, and is taking steps to achieve this goal, including the use of technology to track and locate undocumented immigrants.

Since Trump's return to the presidency on 20 January, immigration officials have been arresting 826 people daily. At that rate, Trump's administration would make nearly 25,000 immigration-related arrests in the first 30 days of his second presidency, more than any other month in the past 11 years. The administration has also ended Biden-era parole policies that allowed migrants to enter at ports of entry or be approved for travel into the U.S. and has launched legal action against multiple "sanctuary" cities that do not co-operate with ICE. The use of data and statistics has become a key component of the administration's immigration policy, with a focus on tracking and measuring the effectiveness of enforcement efforts.

The reassignment of Vitello and the expansion of the ICE team are seen as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration and to increase the accountability of immigration officials. The administration has made it clear that it will take a tough stance on immigration, and that it will use all available tools and resources to achieve its goals. As the situation continues to unfold, it is likely that there will be further developments and changes in the administration's immigration policy, with a focus on increasing enforcement and reducing the number of undocumented immigrants in the US.