{"id":2377211,"date":"2024-12-06T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T18:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-plan-to-move-bidens-ice-leader-out-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-06T13:59:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T18:59:52","slug":"trumps-plan-to-move-bidens-ice-leader-out-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-plan-to-move-bidens-ice-leader-out-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s plan to move Biden&#8217;s ICE leader out &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-plan-to-move-bidens-ice-leader-out-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2377211&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President-elect \u200bDonald trump has appointed Caleb Vitello\u2063 as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of his administration&#8217;s initiative\u2063 to remove \u2062the biden administration&#8217;s holdovers on his first day in office.Vitello, a senior official with over 23 \u2064years of service in ICE, is expected \u200bto help \u2062facilitate \u2064mass deportations. \u200cFormer acting director Patrick &#8220;PJ&#8221; Lechleitner, who has led since June\u200d 2023,\u2063 is not viewed as a suitable fit by Trump&#8217;s team.<\/p>\n<p>vitello\u2019s extensive experience includes overseeing the Fugitive Operations Academy and\u2063 managing the\u2064 National Fugitive Operations Program,\u200b positioning him \u200dwell for the aggressive enforcement actions Trump intends to pursue. His \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stacey-abrams-voting-rights-pac-helped-group-that-pushed-voter-fraud-conspiracy-theories\/\" title=\"Stacey Abrams\u2019 Voting Rights PAC Helped Group That Pushed Voter Fraud Conspiracy Theories\">close working relationship<\/a> with\u200c former \u200bWhite House adviser Stephen Miller is highlighted as an advantage, and he \u2064is recognized for his insights\u2064 during critical discussions.<\/p>\n<p>ICE has \u2064lacked a permanent\u2063 leader as 2016, with the \u2063trend of temporary leadership continuing. trump&#8217;s decision to appoint Vitello is\u200c seen as a strategic move to expedite his immigration\u200c enforcement agenda, though it remains unclear \u2063whether\u200c Vitello will be nominated for the\u2064 position permanently in the\u2063 future.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump pushes out Biden holdover at ICE with temporary director to help enact mass deportation<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1895289\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s selection of Caleb Vitello as the acting director of U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> is part of the incoming administration&rsquo;s effort to push out the Biden holdover on Day One and begin carrying out the mass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/deportation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">deportation<\/a>, sources tell the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Trump announced Vitello, a senior ICE official, as the leader of the 20,<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">000-person federal agency inside<\/a> the Department of Homeland Security late Thursday evening, ending a monthlong debate over who would win the coveted job.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A member of the Senior Executive Service, with over 23 years of service to ICE, Caleb currently serves as Assistant Director of the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, where he oversees Agency-wide training, equipment, and policy to ensure Officer and Public Safety,&rdquo; Trump said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Caleb&rsquo;s exceptional leadership, extensive experience, and commitment to ICE&rsquo;s mission make him an excellent choice to implement my efforts to enhance the safety and security of American communities who have been victimized by illegal alien crime,&rdquo; Trump added.<\/p>\n<p>Acting ICE Director Patrick &ldquo;PJ&rdquo; Lechleitner has been at the helm since June 2023 but is not seen in the Trumpworld as right to continue in the job.<\/p>\n<p>Officials involved in the transition on homeland security matters did not specify if Trump planned to nominate Vitello in the future or just use him as an immediate placeholder.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is Caleb Vitello?<\/h2>\n<p>One source close to the transition team said Vitello was a &ldquo;good temporary pick that removes the Biden administration appointee with a seasoned &hellip; enforcement-minded leader&rdquo; who had experience in ICE&rsquo;s Enforcement and Removal Operations.<\/p>\n<p>Vitello has overseen the Fugitive Operations Academy, served as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-ecoterror-linked-blm-director-moves-senior-leadership-back-to-washington-swamp\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s\u00a0Ecoterror-Linked BLM Director\u00a0Moves Senior Leadership Back to Washington Swamp\">deputy assistant director<\/a>, and led the National Fugitive Operations Program. That last job makes him a fitting pick for the mass deportations and arrests Trump is planning.<\/p>\n<p>At the National Fugitive Operations Program, Vitello provided policy guidance, strategic planning, and operational oversight of ICE efforts to locate, arrest, and remove at-large criminals and illegal immigrants from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Later, as the chief of staff for ICE ERO, Vitello managed daily operations for the $4.7 billion budget organization and oversaw 8,000 employees.<\/p>\n<p>An adviser on homeland security matters to the Trump transition team said Vitello was a &ldquo;great choice&rdquo; and had significant experience working with the White House in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Vitello worked on the White House National Security Council, in which he led initiatives on national security and child safety threats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He had a close working relationship with Stephen Miller. Miller liked him a lot and relied heavily on him. Caleb was regularly the voice of reason in those West Wing meetings,&rdquo; the second source wrote in a text message on Friday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Without a permanent leader<\/h2>\n<p>ICE has been without a confirmed leader since Sarah Salda&ntilde;a under former President Barack Obama in late 2016. Since then, it has been led by officials in temporary, nevertheless long-term, capacities. That is expected to continue, at least in the short term.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump took office in 2017, he asked then-acting ICE Director Tom Homan to stay on and lead ICE until a permanent nominee could be selected. That never happened.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2021, President Joe Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/biden-nominates-houston-sheriff-to-lead-ice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">nominated<\/a> left-leaning Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Houston&rsquo;s Harris County to head ICE.<\/p>\n<p>However, Gonzalez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2876139\/biden-ice-nominee-ed-gonzalez-drops-out-amid-domestic-abuse-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">bowed out<\/a> in mid-2022 after failing to get confirmed amid a personal scandal. The Senate stalled on his confirmation in March 2022 after claims surfaced that he was the suspect in a domestic violence altercation with his wife, Melissa.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez worked for the Houston Police Department for nearly two decades before becoming sheriff, when he&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/biden-ice-nominee-ed-gonzalez-denouncing-agency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">spoke out against<\/a>&nbsp;the work of ICE. The federal agency is responsible for detaining and deporting immigrants residing in the U.S. without permission, as well as carrying out major investigations that relate to homeland security.<\/p>\n<p>Since Gonzalez&rsquo;s departure, ICE has been led by career officials at the agency.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump&rsquo;s plans for ICE<\/h2>\n<p>Trump has vowed to carry out the nation&rsquo;s largest&nbsp;deportation&nbsp;operation. To oversee the effort, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3225515\/trump-taps-tom-homan-border-czar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">tapped<\/a> Homan as his administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;border czar,&rdquo; though Vitello will be the one in the area overseeing and carrying out the operation, at least initially.<\/p>\n<p>Homan&rsquo;s czar position is not a standard government post, but Homan&rsquo;s assignment as czar will allow him to avoid a possibly ugly and unsuccessful confirmation battle in the Senate, given his outspoken nature and strong alignment with Trump on immigration matters.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance have touted plans to start out arresting and deporting the 500,000 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-bidens-immigration-policies-may-fuel-migrant-caravan-crisis-at-southern-border\/\" title=\"Analysis: Biden\u2019s immigration policies may fuel migrant caravan crisis at southern border\">1 million illegal immigrants<\/a> with criminal records.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to criminals, the Trump-Vance administration wants to remove the people who have already been ordered by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-forbids-immigration-judges-from-using-the-term-alien\/\" title=\"Biden Forbids Immigration Judges From Using the Term \u2018Alien\u2019\">federal immigration judge<\/a> to be removed.<\/p>\n<p>In total, roughly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/trump-mass-deportation-immigrants-plan-348eaa91\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;1.3 million<\/a>&nbsp;people have been ordered deported and are still in the U.S., according to the&nbsp;<em>Wall Street Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One in 5 voters in battleground states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3223950\/battleground-state-voters-immigration-top-concern-conservative-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">identified<\/a>&nbsp;immigration&nbsp;and&nbsp;border security&nbsp;as their top concerns in the days after the Nov. 5 election, according to exit polling conducted by a conservative nonprofit organization.<\/p>\n<p>A Building America&rsquo;s Future memo, obtained exclusively by the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, revealed how significant of a concern the illegal immigration crisis and crime at the southern border are to average Americans in key states, a matter Trump focused his campaign on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1895289\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1895289\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump replaces Biden&#8217;s ICE leader with Caleb Vitello for mass deportation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2377212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ap-donald-trump-bitcoin-speech-120624.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,8364,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2377211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-ice","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ap-donald-trump-bitcoin-speech-120624.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2377211"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2377215,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377211\/revisions\/2377215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2377212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2377211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2377211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2377211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}