There have been more arrests and removals of migrants with ties to gangs, violent criminal histories and allegations of sexual assault across the country, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Trump administration has said it is targeting those living in the country illegally who pose a threat to the public in its initial crackdown.

Immigration officials have been highlighting the arrests of people suspected of trafficking drugs and fentanyl across the border and inside the U.S. as the administration tries to slow the flow of drugs into the country. A look at some notable arrests and deportations announced over the last week:

Dany Belkis Vasquez-Rodriguez was arrested earlier this month in New Orleans for allegedly being in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. In Detroit, Jan Antonio Tamayo-Beltran was taken into custody for an alleged heroin trafficking conspiracy. Mirna Elisabeth Villatra-Rivas was arrested in San Diego on charges of drug trafficking.

Jorge Alberto Galindo-Vargas, a Mexican national in the country illegally, was sentenced last week to 17 years in prison for trafficking cocaine after he was arrested in 2023 for having 12 kilograms of cocaine hidden in an ice chest in the vehicle. “The sentencing of this individual underscores our unwavering commitment to combatting drug trafficking and securing our borders,” said Mark Lippa, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley Deputy special agent in charge.

Sexual assaults

There have also been repeated arrests of those accused of sexually assaulting Americans, including children, taken into custody.

Immigration agents and local law enforcement arrested Yobany Gustavo Izaguierre Barahona, a previously deported Honduras national accused of raping a minor under 12, last week after a man hunt. ICE said he was allegedly in a home with a minor and forced himself onto the victim and fled upon being discovered by another person, leading to the manhunt with law enforcement. Barahona had previously been deported in 2021 after an encounter in Texas and later re-entered the country.

ICE announced the arrest of a Brazilian national on Monday who is accused of “horrifically victimizing” a Massachusetts resident in a rape and is now facing deportation. Border patrol said Willian Robert Vasconcelos-Dos Santos allegedly entered the country illegally in San Diego last year and was released into the country with an order to appear in immigration court.

“Willian Robert Vasconcelos-Dos Santos is charged with horrifically victimizing a Massachusetts resident and represents a significant threat to the residents of our communities,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting field office Director Patricia H. Hyde said.

Violent crime and murder

Migrants suspected of committing violent assaults and homicides have also been targeted in ICE’s “worst first” directive to remove the most dangerous people from the country first.

In Knoxville, Tennessee, Horacio Mejia-Villegas was arrested on charges of child sexual assault, domestic violence and assault with a weapon. Mongong Kaul Maniang Deng was taken into custody in Minnesota after facing murder charges. Arab Ali Mohamed, accused of homicide, was arrested earlier this month in Atlanta.

Edilio Agustin-Rellana, a Gutaemalan national with a history of deportations and arrests was arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, three counts of kidnapping and armed home invasion in Rhode Island, according to ICE.

Enforcement results

The effort has led to a sharp decline in border crossings and arrests during Trump’s first month in office, ICE said. It’s a continuation of a trend that started when former President Joe Biden signed an executive order significantly restricting asylum claims.

Arrests for illegal crossings fell 39% in January from December at 21,593. It was the lowest number of arrests since May 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world.

Encounters also steeply declined last month with 61,4465, down from more than 96,000 in December along the southwestern border, the busiest section for crossings, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday that CBP encountered just 200 people at the southern border on Saturday, the lowest figure for a single day in more than 15 years.

The administration has tried to leverage every federal resource available while it awaits further funding for immigration enforcement from Congress. Lawmakers are debating how to pass a bill funding immigration, defense and tax cuts through the budget reconciliation process that allows Republicans to bypass the Senate filibuster.

In the interim, the Trump administration has sent troops to the border and deputized law enforcement agents from other government agencies. Six hundred special agents within the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service joined others from the IRS and Department of Justice last week to carry out the border initiative.

The administration has been active in deterring migrants from coming to the border at all through the wave of executive orders and an advertising campaign that encourages people in the country illegally to leave on their own.