The Department of Homeland Security has arrested more than 480,000 illegal aliens since January, most of whom have criminal charges or prior convictions, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The announcement came Monday during a press conference in Sarasota, Florida, where Noem outlined the department’s ongoing enforcement actions under President Donald Trump’s direction.

“Since January, the Department of Homeland Security has arrested over 480,000 criminal illegal aliens — 70 percent of those individuals have criminal charges against them or have been convicted of those criminal charges,” Noem said.

The arrests represent a significant expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations nationwide. Noem said the department remains committed to removing dangerous individuals who pose a threat to public safety.

“We are not going to let these individuals terrorize our streets anymore and we’re not going to let them make victims out of families that live in this country,” she said.

According to Noem, DHS and ICE have prioritized targeting illegal aliens with serious criminal histories, including repeat offenders who have re-entered the United States after deportation. “We are focused on the worst of the worst, bringing these individuals to justice,” she said.

Among the cases highlighted during the briefing was that of Erick Carlos Artiles Ramos, an illegal alien from Cuba who was previously convicted of homicide, kidnapping, robbery, armed carjacking, and drunk driving.

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Artiles Ramos had been ordered deported by a federal immigration judge in 2008 but evaded removal until ICE agents apprehended him earlier this year.

Another case involved twice-deported illegal alien Oscar Alfredo Retana Marroquin of El Salvador, who was taken into custody after being convicted of sexual assault of a child and driving under the influence.

ICE also arrested Arturo Sanchez Morales, an illegal alien from Mexico who had previously been deported and had a final deportation order dating back to 2019. Sanchez Morales has been convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, incest with a minor, and driving under the influence.

In addition, ICE officers arrested twice-deported illegal alien Lelis Reinaldo Bejarano-Zeron of Honduras, who has prior convictions for domestic violence.

Noem said these arrests reflect DHS’s renewed focus on enforcement after years of lax policies. The department, she said, is concentrating its resources on individuals with violent criminal records or those who have re-entered the country after prior deportations.

“Every arrest we make represents a step toward restoring law and order in communities that have been affected by repeat offenders,” Noem said. She added that ICE is working in close coordination with federal, state, and local agencies to locate, arrest, and remove criminal aliens.

Federal data from DHS shows that the current arrest totals mark one of the highest enforcement surges in recent years, driven by a directive from President Trump to expand interior enforcement operations and close gaps that had allowed criminal aliens to remain in the United States.

Noem said the administration will continue to pursue deportations aggressively and ensure that those with criminal backgrounds are removed from U.S. communities. “Our priority remains protecting the American people,” she said. “We will continue these operations until the job is done.”

The department did not provide additional details about pending prosecutions but confirmed that a majority of the recent arrests involved individuals with violent felony convictions. ICE officials said the agency will release updated nationwide enforcement figures in the coming weeks.