16 Migrants Arrested In Mississippi After Trying To Run Away From ICE Operation

Federal officials arrested 16 migrants who tried to escape from a Mississippi business following a raid.

According to Fox News, the operation was conducted by officials from different agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.

"While serving the paperwork and interviewing employees, agents observed a large group of individuals running from the back of the business property," ICE detailed in a statement describing the operation. Overall, 18 people were captured. Two had immigration court dates and work authorization and were ultimately released, while the remaining 16 were arrested.

Law enforcement agencies informed shortly after that 11 people were detained in Miami as part of an investigation. Concretely, agents stopped a box truck in Oakland Park, leading to the apprehensions. ICE described the people as "criminal aliens," a term used for non-citizens who have been convicted of crimes, the Miami Herald reported.

The figures will add to the more than 20,000 migrants who have been arrested during President Donald Trump's first month in office. The figure, at this pace would double the Biden administration number, is however far from what the Republican president had promised.

It remains unclear the exact breakdown of all 20,000 detainees. But Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for DHS, told The Wall Street Journal that of those arrested, 22 were known suspected terrorists and 640 were suspected gang members.

In fact, a source familiar with Trump's thinking told NBC News that the president is getting "angry" that more people are not being deported and that the message is being passed along to border czar Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. In fact, acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello was removed from his post in this context.

"It's driving him nuts, they're not deporting more people," the source told NBC in early-February.

Another source said Homan is "unhappy" and has "made his unhappiness known" about the relatively low numbers of arrests and deportations.