Just after taking back the office, US President Donald Trump began his crackdown on illegal immigrants. Trump's administration arrested more than 500 illegal immigrants on Friday (Jan 24). This marks the first step towards Trump's promise to apprehend and deport "illegal criminals" from the United States. At least 373 migrants were further deported by US military aircraft.

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Donald Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt shared a post on the social media platform X sharing pictures of the deportation flights. She said in the post that Trump is sending a "strong and clear" message to the rest of the world. 

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Previously, Leavitt said in a post, “The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals." She added in her statement that "hundreds" others were deported. 

“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway—promises made. Promises kept,” she added.

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Trump has long vowed to launch crackdowns on illegal immigrants in the US, and just days after taking power from Joe Biden, the 47th US president signed a bunch of executive orders to fulfil the promise. 

Trump declared a "national emergency" at the southern border. He further ordered the deployment of more troops to the areas to deport "criminal aliens". 

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As per US authorities, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents launched a raid at a local establishment on Thursday (Jan 23). The officers banned hundreds of people without any warrant. 

The Newark city mayor, Ras J Baraka, said one of the detained immigrants was a US military veteran. The mayor accused that "this egregious act" is a plain violation of US law. 

In addition, the White House also paused its asylum programme, which has led to hundreds of immigrants stranded on the borders. 

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(With inputs from agencies)