Politics
WATCH: Karoline Leavitt Lays Down The Law In Fiery First Press Briefing: ‘They Are Criminals’
The White House press briefing room felt the heat on Tuesday as Karoline Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, made her commanding debut. Leavitt, 27, brought a sharp, no-nonsense policy message to the table, defending President Donald Trump’s latest immigration enforcement operation.
This month’s nationwide immigration crackdown, which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed led to the arrest of thousands of individuals, was brought up during the briefing. The operation, touted as the most extensive since Trump returned to the presidency, set the tone for the administration’s renewed focus on stringent immigration policies.
“3,500 arrests ICE has made so far since President Trump came back into office. Can you just tell us the numbers? How many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally?” Leavitt was asked.
“All of them [are criminals] because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and therefore, they are criminals as far as this administration goes,” Leavitt said. “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal—but that’s exactly what they are.”
Leavitt reiterated that the arrests align with the Trump administration’s “law and order” ethos, framing illegal entry into the U.S. as a criminal act, regardless of additional offenses. Pressed further on the arrests and their implications, Leavitt stood her ground. “If they broke our nation’s laws, yes, they are a criminal,” she repeated.
Leavitt’s first performance at the podium may have set the tone for her tenure. She began her career as an assistant press secretary during Trump’s first term, later working as communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 campaign. In November, after he won the election, President Trump picked Leavitt to be his White House press secretary.
WATCH:
ICE announced a significant surge in its efforts to apprehend undocumented immigrants under President Trump, with a record-setting 1,179 arrests made on Monday alone. This marked the highest number of detentions in a single day since Trump took office a week ago, showing a strong enforcement push in cities across the United States.
Since the operation began last Thursday, ICE has reported a total of 3,552 arrests, according to figures posted on the agency’s X account. This was a huge increase in activity compared to the Biden administration, where the daily average number of arrests for noncitizens with criminal convictions or pending charges was 310.7 in the fiscal year that ended September 30, as detailed in an ICE report.
The days leading up to Monday’s peak saw 538 arrests on Thursday, 593 on Friday, 286 on Saturday, and 956 on Sunday.
Recent operations have resulted in nearly 1,000 arrests in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, and Los Angeles. President Trump, reportedly dissatisfied with the pace, has instructed ICE to increase daily arrests to 1,500, setting quotas for field offices and involving federal agencies like the FBI and DEA to target individuals deemed public safety or national security threats.