The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for the detention and deportation of foreigners considered to be harmful to the security of American communities or who violate immigration laws, and carries out investigations related to national security.
Among the remaining Portuguese-speaking African countries, Cape Verde stands out, with 12 citizens deported, while Guinea-Bissau has four records and Mozambique three.
In 2024, 271,484 foreigners were deported to 192 different countries, including 88,763 who had been charged or convicted of criminal activity, 3706 known or suspected gang members, 237 known or suspected terrorists, and eight human rights violators, according to the report consulted by Lusa.
More than 30 percent of those expelled had criminal records, with an average of 5.63 convictions and/or charges per individual, and many of their criminal records were "extremely serious," with individuals who were wanted in their home countries for terrorist activities and involvement in torture identified and arrested.
There were also 113,431 administrative arrests, including 33,243 arrests in the act, and 32,608 criminal arrests, and more than 725 tons of drugs, more than 886 million dollars in currency and other assets derived from criminal activities and approximately 192 million dollars in virtual currency were seized. 1783 child victims of exploitation were also identified and/or recovered.
The report also highlights the "intense diplomatic efforts" that have resulted in an increase in the number of charter flights to countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the first major deportation charter flight to the People's Republic of China since 2018, as well as those that have stopped in Albania, Angola, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritania, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The issue of repatriation of foreigners by the United States has once again been on the agenda after newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump announced his intention to deport illegal immigrants.
