On February 21, Caleb Vitello, the acting director of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was removed from his position with no replacement named.
Vitello was demoted to head the office responsible for arrests and deportations. His successor is unclear at the time of this writing (March 6, 2025), and Vitello is still listed as Acting Director on the ICE website.
Vitello was removed out of frustration with the lack of significant progress made in the mass deportations that Trump has pledged to carry out.
ICE has been under significant pressure from the Trump administration; field offices are expected to make 75 arrests per day, or 1,500 nationwide. This concern has basis in political reality. Former president Joe Biden enjoyed a higher deportation rate at this point in his term. Whereas Biden reached an average of 57,000 deportations per month, Trump only deported 38,000 people in his first month in office.
The demotion of Vitello is occurring alongside a larger shakeup of ICE. An administration official has stated that ICE’s team will be expanded. Louisiana Secretary for Wildlife and Fisheries Madison Sheahan is expected to fill a senior role at the agency.
