President Trump has removed Caleb Vitello from his role as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reassigning him to a more direct enforcement position as the administration intensifies mass deportations, officials confirmed Friday.
Vitello, who was appointed as ICE’s acting director at the start of Trump’s second term in January, will now oversee field operations, focusing on the arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) characterized the move as a strategic shift to further the president’s aggressive immigration agenda.
In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin announced that Vitello has been moved from his administrative position. She confirmed, “[Vitello] is no longer in an Administrative role, but is instead overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of the President and Secretary Noem.”
The shake-up comes on the heels of another major personnel change earlier this month when two senior officials in ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division were reassigned. Since returning to office, Trump has made stricter border enforcement a top priority, reinstating policies from his first administration while implementing new measures to expand detention capacity and accelerate deportations.
The move is expected to further escalate tensions with immigration advocates and Democratic-led states, many of which have already launched legal challenges against Trump’s sweeping immigration policies. However, inside the administration, officials suggest that more personnel changes could be forthcoming as Trump seeks to reshape the agency to align with his enforcement-first approach.
Tom Homan, tasked by the White House with implementing Trump’s immigration policies across federal agencies, reported last week a sharp increase in arrests within the U.S.—tripling the numbers from last year under President Joe Biden. Despite the surge, Homan expressed dissatisfaction, signaling that even tougher enforcement measures may be on the way. “I’m not satisfied,” he said. “We got to get more.”
Vitello, who has “grown up in the Enforcement and Removal Operations division” of ICE, brings more than 20 years of experience to his role, a former ICE official told NBC News when he was appointed acting director last year. The former official emphasized Vitello’s deep understanding of the agency’s operations, particularly in arresting immigrants with criminal convictions. Jason Houser, who served as ICE’s chief of staff during the Biden administration until early 2023, described Vitello as a thoughtful and capable leader. “He knows the complexities and challenges of a broken immigration system,” Houser said.
Corey Price, the former acting executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, praised Vitello’s demeanor. “He’s very even-keeled. I honestly can’t think of a single thing that [is] controversial about him. I don’t want to call him a Boy Scout, but he’s as close as it gets,” Price said.