Third ICE official 'reassigned' after reportedly failing to meet arrest quota

Unlike his predecessor, President Donald Trump is absolutely not afraid to fire underperforming officials, and that's exactly what just happened to one of his top immigration officials.

According to the Daily Mail, Caleb Vitello, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was just reassigned by the Trump administration for failing to arrest as many illegal aliens as the president wanted.

Senior officials within the Trump administration confirmed that his reassignment was a result of lower-than-expected numbers.

The bombshell news came in the wake of an earlier round of reassignments within the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency due to the same reasons.

There was some confusion in reporting as it appears Vitello was actually "elevated" within the agency and no longer serving in his acting director capacity.

The Daily Mail noted:

The move was said to have come after frustration within the Trump administration over the speed of deportations. According to the Department of Homeland Security Vitello will stay at ICE in a different role. A spokesman told the Wall Street Journal he was 'actually being elevated so he is no longer in an administrative role.'

Notably, Vitello worked for President Trump during his first administration in a similar capacity.

BREAKING 🚨ICE director Caleb Vitello has been removed, over the slow pace of deportations. Tom Homan, known for his vocal complaints on the issue, has always been critical,

( Could Vitello possibly… Is this the result of internal leaks? ) Hmm 🤔 makes you wonder? pic.twitter.com/pADfTO2k1Q

— April Color (@ColorApril) February 21, 2025

The Daily Mail added:

Deportation officials have been given targets of arresting 1,500 illegal migrants a day. That includes targets of 75 arrests by individual field offices, the wall Street Journal reported.

Obviously, Vitello wasn't meeting that goal, and he officially became the third ICE official to be reassigned as a result of failing to meet his target.

Social media users weighed in on the situation, with many cheering Trump and his administration for following through on their goal of only keeping people around who are ready and willing to do the job.

"Great news for America, finally some accountability in the swamp. The ICE Director should be enforcing our laws and protecting our borders, not caving to liberal pressure. Trump is cleaning house and making America great again, one firing at a time," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "This isn't surprising at all. The real question is: will his replacement actually enforce our immigration laws, or is this just more political theater?"

Only time will tell.