US President Donald Trump’s renewed push to carry out mass deportations has led to a sharp increase in immigration arrests, with nearly 23,000 people detained and 18,000 deported last month, US federal data shows.
While arrests inside the US have increased significantly compared with former president Joe Biden's time in office, they remain below the levels recorded at the start of Mr Trump’s first term.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported 20,000 arrests during Mr Trump’s first month back in office. That aligns with figures from TRAC Immigration.
It marks a substantial increase from early 2024, when ICE averaged fewer than 10,000 monthly arrests under Mr Biden. But deportation figures tell a different story – the Trump administration removed 37,660 people in its first month, far fewer than the monthly average of 57,000 recorded during Mr Biden’s last year in the White House.
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was among those arrested under the Trump administration. His detention sent shockwaves through US civil society because of its ramifications for immigration and free speech.
Mr Khalil, a former graduate student at Columbia University, has a green card, which affords him the same work and free speech rights as US citizens. Green card holders can typically only be stripped of their status if they are convicted of a crime, and Mr Khalil has not been accused of any.
However, Mr Trump described him as a “radical foreign pro-Hamas student” on his Truth Social platform and said his arrest was the “first arrest of many to come”.
Figures show there has been an increase in people with no criminal record being arrested by ICE, rising from 6 per cent to 16 per cent in mid-January.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed this month that arrests have risen by 600 per cent, but that figure is misleading. It compares the broad actions of ICE under Mr Trump with a narrower subset of arrests under Mr Biden. Still, the data confirms an overall increase in immigration enforcement activity during Mr Trump’s second term.
Despite the surge in arrests, deportation efforts have faced obstacles. The White House is frustrated with the slow progress, leading to leadership changes at ICE. High costs have also forced the Trump administration to halt the use of military aircraft for deportations, with some flights costing millions of dollars.
While Mr Trump has made policy changes to accelerate removals, it appears increasingly unlikely that he will reach his stated goal of one million deportations a year.
His government’s strategy has curbed the number of migrants entering the US and presenting themselves to immigration courts, which has also had an effect on reducing deportations.
The coming months will reveal whether the Trump administration can sustain this push but, for now, the data shows a stark contrast – arrests are up, but deportations have yet to match the levels recorded under Mr Biden.
ARGYLLE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
