The US Immigration Agency records a record level of immigration arrests and deportations

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth awarded a high medal to the soldier who rebuked him and his companions at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Today, Thursday, Hegseth posted pictures on social media showing him pinning the medal on the chest of a soldier and shaking his hand, and wrote in his post: “We love soldiers.” We like standards. Well done, Specialist Corporal.”

Hegseth was welcomed at the Pentagon by the army unit charged with guarding the shrine, and Specialist Corporal Thomas Iglesias was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal “for performing his duties at the Shrine of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026,” according to the Pentagon announced.

Iglesias had rebuked Hegseth and a group of his aides when they laughed loudly after they took photos at the site following a ceremony that included President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

A video showed Hegseth taking photos on the empty stairs in front of the grave on Wednesday with his wife, Jennifer, his chief of staff, Ricky Boria, deputy chief of staff, Patrick Weaver, and chief counsel Tammy Radabaugh.

The grave is one of the most revered and revered war memorials in the United States, as it represents the resting place of unknown soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean War. Since 1948, it has been guarded around the clock, in all weather conditions, by a soldier from the Army’s Third Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Old Guard.”

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced today (Thursday) that it has arrested and deported more people in the last 12 months than any other period in its 23-year history.

The agency said that it deported more than 483,000 people during the fiscal year ending last September 30, an increase of 9 percent compared to its previous highest level of 442,000 in the same period last year, and an increase of 78 percent compared to 271,000 people in 2024, which is the last year of Joe Biden’s presidency.

In terms of arrests, the agency detained more than 474,000 people during the last 12 months, which is equivalent to twice the number of arrests recorded in the previous year (239,000 people), and more than 4 times the number recorded in 2024 (113,000 people).

It is noteworthy that the agency has not published such detailed data since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, including statistics for 2025, according to the Associated Press.

The press release also did not contain any details regarding the number of immigrants with criminal records, contrary to what was usual in previous administrations.

In a comment, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen said: “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the immigration agency has been given free rein to target and deport illegal aliens, so that we can save American lives.”

The agency concluded its statement by noting that more than 48,000 arrests were carried out last September alone, culminating a two-month upward wave of record levels, reaching its peak last August with about 51,000 arrests recorded.

Two Democratic US Senators have launched an investigation into whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (Jr.) lied to Congress about the reason for his visit to Samoa in 2019, after the Associated Press and The Guardian published documents in August refuting his testimony.

The new investigation is one of a group of anticipated investigations related to the administration of President Donald Trump after Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate from Republicans in the midterm elections.

Senators Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and Angela Alsobrooks, Democrat of Maryland, said in a letter yesterday, Wednesday, to Children's Health Defense, a non-profit organization known for its anti-vaccine activism, which Kennedy previously headed, that they are launching an investigation.

The two senators requested from the organization a wide range of documents related to Kennedy's trip to Samoa, his 2024 presidential campaign, and the Senate confirmation process.

The senators' letter also requested all correspondence exchanged between the organization and federal government officials since the start of President Donald Trump's second presidential term in January 2025.

A report by the Associated Press and the British newspaper The Guardian in August showed that while Kennedy repeatedly stressed to the senators who had a decisive role in approving his appointment last year that his visit to Samoa before the outbreak of the deadly measles epidemic “had nothing to do with vaccines,” a letter he sent to the Prime Minister of Samoa before the visit, on official letterhead bearing the name of the Children’s Health Defense Organization, showed the opposite.

In the letter, Kennedy used the words “vaccine” or “vaccination” eight times.

“We intend to hold Secretary Kennedy accountable for the grave harm he has caused to the most vulnerable children,” Wyden and Alsobrooks wrote in their letter. “We also intend to hold him accountable for any false statements he made to Congress, a crime that undermines the Senate’s ability to carry out its constitutional duties.”

The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the visit to Samoa “was not related to vaccines.”

In response to an inquiry by the Associated Press in August, the department said that “any allegation or insinuation, based on these letters, that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false, but constitutes outright defamation.”

Yesterday, Wednesday, the same two senators announced the opening of a separate investigation into what was reported about gifts given by a donor to the organization and a former employee to Kennedy last year, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.