By Kolawole Ojebisi
If the report from the CBS News is anything to go by, about 538 illegal immigrants have been deported from the United States following President Donald Trump’s directive to that effect.
The CBS reported on Friday that two deportation flights had arrived overnight in Guatemala.
Recall that Trump had on his first day in office signed a series of executive orders aimed at tackling illegal immigration.
He also declared the situation at the United States and Mexico border as a national emergency, just as he designated criminal cartels as terrorist organisations.
The US president took steps to halt the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born in the US to undocumented immigrants.
Trump also signed an order reportedly suspending the US refugee resettlement programme for four months.
It appears an enforcement operation has already begun, according to CBS News report.
According to White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, 538 illegal immigrants were arrested in the first round of operations.
She wrote in a post on her X handle on Thursday, “The Trump administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals, including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors.”
Meanwhile, confirming the CBS News report, a Guatemalan migration official confirmed the arrivals of deported Immigrants, noting that one flight from El Paso carried 80 people, another flight from Tucson brought in 80 more, and a third flight from El Paso carried around 105 individuals.
Leavitt confirmed that the operation was far-reaching, stating, “The Trump Administration has also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft. The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway.”
