WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Caleb Vitello, was removed from his post, due to the Trump administration's frustration with the slower-than-expected pace of deportations of illegal immigrants, U.S. media reported Friday.
The administration is "shaking up the leadership" at ICE and is soon expected to announce a new acting director, according to The Wall Street Journal. Vitello will remain at ICE and head the office responsible for arrests and deportations.
His removal follows the ouster of two other top deportation officials at ICE earlier this month, the report noted.
About two weeks ago, senior officials had expressed frustration with ICE in tense calls for not meeting its goals, CNN reported earlier. "They're treading water. They're way behind," a Trump administration official told CNN.
The calls included White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, border czar Tom Homan, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, along with various federal agencies involved in the enforcement effort, the report said.
President Donald Trump had pledged to remove 1 million illegal immigrants a year, which would require over 2,700 deportations per day.
In the first two weeks of the Trump administration, federal immigration authorities arrested more than 8,000 people, according to the White House, averaging fewer than 600 arrests per day. Not everyone who was arrested would be deported. ■
