Trump administration ousts top ICE officials; demands sharp increase in arrests of migrants
FILE PHOTO: The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Hawthorne, California, U.S., March 1, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
By Ted Hesson
The Trump administration is removing two senior immigration enforcement officials as the White House is demanding a sharp increase in arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally, three people familiar with the move said on Thursday.
Top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Kenneth Genalo and Robert Hammer will be pulled from their posts, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss the shift.
ICE confirmed the changes in a statement but did not cite White House pressure to increase arrests. Genalo, who heads ICE's enforcement and removal division, will retire, the agency said. Robert Hammer, the head of ICE's investigative arm, will be reassigned.
President Donald Trump, a Republican who took office in January, pledged to deport record numbers of migrants in the U.S. illegally.
Deportations so far have lagged numbers under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, whose administration faced higher levels of illegal immigration and quickly deported many recent border crossers.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, denied that the officials were pushed out of their roles, saying it "isn't accurate." The two officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The removal of Genalo and Hammer follows multiple ICE leadership shakeups in February.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told Fox News' "Hannity" on Wednesday that the White House was setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day, far above an earlier 1,000 per day arrest quota.
Miller, the architect of Trump's immigration agenda, shouted at ICE officials over insufficient arrests in a meeting last week, one of the sources and two other people familiar with the matter said. The meeting was first reported by Axios.
Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also threatened to fire the bottom 10% of regional ICE officials based on their arrest tallies, the people said.
ICE said Marcos Charles, a former Dallas field office director, would take over enforcement and removal operations. Derek Gordon, a Washington-based official, will helm its investigative arm, the agency said.
NBC News first reported Genalo's retirement.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
U.S. Steel deal awaits Trump's final approval ahead of June deadline
TOKYO -- As U.S. President Donald Trump hails the partnership between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, the Japanese steelmaker is scrambling to clear two key hurdles ahead of the June 18 deadline for the purchase. Trump did not clarify the details of the deal in a speech to U.S. Steel workers at a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday.
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 31, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 23:07 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S. vow to spur cybersecurity cooperation amid rising threats SINGAPORE - Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed Saturday to boost cybersecurity cooperation, following Japan's enactment of a law allowing the government to monitor online communications amid rising cyber threats. After their talks in Singapore, meanwhile, Nakatani did not clarify whether Hegseth had requested Japan pay more for defense during their meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump views the long-standing security treaty with Japan as unfair and one-sided. ---------- Seoul subway fire set by man, 400 passengers evacuate through tunnel SEOUL - A man started a fire inside a moving subway train in Seoul around 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, forcing about 400 passengers to evacuate on foot through the tunnel, according to South Korean media. The incident occurred near the center of the capital. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended at a nearby station. Police are investigating his motives, as he appears to have started the fire using gasoline he brought with him. ---------- Japan's cheaper stockpiled rice starts hitting store shelves TOKYO - The Japanese government's stockpiled rice released through direct contracts with retailers began hitting store shelves Saturday, with consumers flocking to the cheaper products. Major supermarket operator Ito-Yokado Co. and home appliance company Iris Ohyama Inc. were the first to start selling the rice at some of their shops, both setting a price tag of 2,160 yen ($15) including tax for a 5 kilogram-bag. ---------- Museum featuring Asian works opens on Japanese island of art NAOSHIMA, Japan - A museum dedicated to contemporary Asian works opened Saturday on Naoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture, known as an island of art and the only Japanese destination to make the BBC's list of the 25 best places to travel in 2025. The Naoshima New Museum of Art, designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando, is located in a hilltop village overlooking the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan. Featuring black plaster walls and stone fences, the building has a calm, subdued appearance. ---------- Trump lauds Nippon Steel as "great partner" for U.S. Steel WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania - President Donald Trump on Friday heaped praise on Nippon Steel Corp. over what he views as a partnership deal with United States Steel Corp., offering backing to the Japanese company's $14 billion investment into the iconic but struggling American producer. During a speech at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania, Trump called Nippon Steel a "great partner" and said the two steelmakers will form a "tremendous relationship" without offering many details about the deal, which he has never described as being the buyout the Japanese company has desired. ---------- Japan, U.S. agree tariff talks making progress toward deal WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator said Friday that he and U.S. Cabinet members agreed in their talks that they are making progress toward a potential tariff deal as early as June. After a meeting in Washington with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's minister in charge of economic revitalization, told reporters that they plan to hold another round of negotiations before a Group of Seven summit in mid-June. ---------- Chinese tourists returning to Japan with new travel style TOKYO - Chinese tourists are driving a recent surge in inbound travel to Japan, with arrivals now exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels, though their travel habits are shifting noticeably. Previously, Chinese tourism in Japan was defined by large group tours and shopping sprees known as "bakugai." Nowadays, however, more travelers are seeking immersive experiences related to Japanese cuisine, culture and scenery, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. ---------- Japan consumer watchdog warns of rice scam websites as prices soar TOKYO - Japan's consumer affairs center has called on people grappling with soaring rice prices to beware of websites claiming to sell the staple at heavily discounted prices. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said complaints related to such websites have spiked since March, with some claiming the rice was never delivered though payment had been made. Video: Universal Studios Japan's special performance at Osaka Expo
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Trump lauds Nippon Steel as "great partner" for U.S. Steel
KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 13:24 | All, World President Donald Trump on Friday heaped praise on Nippon Steel Corp. over what he views as a partnership deal with United States Steel Corp., offering backing to the Japanese company's $14 billion investment into the iconic but struggling American producer. During a speech at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania, Trump called Nippon Steel a "great partner" and said the two steelmakers will form a "tremendous relationship" without offering many details about the deal, which he has never described as being the buyout the Japanese company has desired. "Most importantly, U.S. Steel will continue to be controlled by the USA," said Trump, who was against Nippon Steel's $14.1 billion takeover bid of U.S. Steel during the 2024 election campaign. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have done the deal." After returning from Pennsylvania, Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington that he still has to approve "the final deal" between the two steelmakers. His remarks during a visit to the plant in West Mifflin for a rally with steelworkers came after he unexpectedly struck a positive note a week earlier on "a planned partnership" between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, welcoming the prospect of the at least 70,000 jobs it will create and $14 billion it will add to the U.S. economy. Trump also said he will raise tariffs on steel imports to 50 percent from the 25 percent that took effect in March along with the same rate charged on aluminum from most countries, citing national security. Trump later said on social media that the new tariff rate will go into effect on Wednesday. "Our steel and aluminum industries are coming back like never before," he said. Nippon Steel, the world's fourth-largest producer, has sought to make U.S. Steel a wholly owned subsidiary. The Tokyo-headquartered company has yet to provide details of the latest status of the deal. "A strong steel industry is not just a matter of dignity or prosperity and pride," Trump said. "It's above all, a matter of national security." Trump said Nippon Steel's investment is the largest of any kind in the history of Pennsylvania and that the $14 billion is unprecedented in the history of the steel industry in the United States. He said it is "an incredible deal" that will ensure all U.S. Steel workers keep their jobs and all the company's facilities in the country remain open and thriving. The attendees of the rally included U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt and Takahiro Mori, Nippon Steel's vice chairman, who played a central role in negotiating the takeover bid. In addition to praising Burritt, Trump extolled Mori's contribution to making the landmark investment happen, saying, "He's highly respected all over the world for what he's done with steel." Trump said U.S. Steel will maintain all its existing operating blast furnaces "at full capacity for a minimum of the next 10 years, and we have that as a commitment." Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel announced their merger plan in December 2023. However, then President Joe Biden in early January this year issued an order blocking the sale of U.S. Steel to the Japanese firm, citing national security grounds, following a recommendation by a panel of federal agencies. Trump, who took office for a second term in January, ordered the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to conduct another review of Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition. With the review now complete, although its outcome remains unknown, Trump has until Thursday to determine whether to approve Nippon Steel's set of proposals. During the 2024 presidential election cycle, Biden and Trump stated that U.S. Steel should remain in domestic hands, a view shared by the leadership of the powerful United Steelworkers union. Both U.S. Steel and the powerful union are based in Pennsylvania, which was a key battleground state in the Nov. 5 presidential election, and the planned acquisition became highly political, although the proposed buyout came from a leading company from Japan, a close U.S. ally. Founded in 1901, U.S. Steel was once a symbol of American economic prowess, but it has struggled to keep up with competition from Chinese and other foreign rivals. U.S. Steel and its shareholders were supportive of the takeover, which would make it more competitive globally and create the world's third-largest steelmaker by volume. Related coverage: U.S. gov't eyes "golden share" in U.S. Steel amid Nippon Steel buyout Trump says U.S. Steel to remain under American control after deal
