WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, CMC – United States immigration authorities have arrested nationals of Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti as part of a nationwide crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the two Caribbean nationals were among several individuals recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whom the agency described as the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders.
The Trinidadian was identified as Raymond Jones, who was convicted of murder in New York City, while Haitian national Araldo Renald was convicted of cocaine possession, burglary, firearm and ammunition offences, and attempted assault in Lee County, Florida.
DHS said other individuals arrested in the operation included nationals of Mexico and Guatemala, with convictions involving serious crimes, including murder, sexual offences against minors and drug trafficking.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the arrests reflected the Trump administration’s continued emphasis on immigration enforcement and the removal of foreign nationals with criminal records.
The announcement comes as DHS reports record-breaking immigration arrests and deportations during fiscal year 2026.
According to the department, ICE carried out more than 491,000 immigration arrests and approximately 483,200 deportations during the fiscal year, surpassing the previous deportation record of 442,640 set in 2025.
DHS said the latest deportation figure was nearly equivalent to the combined total recorded during the three full fiscal years of the Biden administration, from 2022 to 2024.
The department also reported nearly 475,000 administrative arrests in fiscal year 2026, describing the figure as the highest in ICE’s history.
Enforcement operations remained elevated in September, with more than 48,000 arrests and 44,000 removals. DHS said the September arrest total represented an increase of more than 300 percent over the average recorded for that month during the Biden administration.
The agency also reported a record 50,925 arrests in August, exceeding the 50,208 recorded in July and 43,900 in June.
Mullin praised ICE officers for what he described as historic enforcement achievements, saying the administration remained committed to removing undocumented immigrants, particularly those convicted of serious crimes.
He further claimed that more than three million migrants had left the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to Mullin, nearly 1.2 million people had been deported and more than 1.25 million arrested as of October.
The intensified enforcement campaign comes amid continued concerns across Caribbean communities in the United States over immigration arrests and the potential deportation of nationals to their countries of origin.
CMC/nk/kb/2026