Leavitt: media certainly out of touch on deporting, sanctuary cities wise to comply, Gitmo

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took questions during an early White House briefing, addressing media criticism of Trump’s deportation policies, sanctuary cities, Guantanamo Bay detention facility expansion, and ICE operations across multiple cities. Asked whether the media was “out of touch with Americans demanding action on our border crisis,” Leavitt answered directly: “I think that media certainly is out of touch.” She cited a New York Times poll pre-inauguration showing “83% of Americans support deporting the individuals that you mentioned, illegal immigrant criminals, especially those who have committed heinous crimes in the interior of our country.” Leavitt revealed ICE statistics: “97% of the deportations that this administration has made thus far are of individuals who had a removal order from the previous administration, but were never removed from the interior of our country.” On sanctuary cities, Leavitt said Democratic officials “would be very wise to comply with this administration because this administration is hell-bent on enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.” On Guantanamo expansion, she confirmed DOD was “on it” — Secretary Hegseth directed capacity increases per Trump’s executive order, with Secretary Noem involved in expanding the Migrant Operation Center. Leavitt reported ICE arrests in Chicago (Guatemalan citizen), Atlanta (South Korean), New York (Mexican national), and Philadelphia (Mexican citizen). Leavitt’s core message: “If you are a criminal, illegal alien, you will be arrested and deported.”

Media Out of Touch

“The media out of touch? I think that media certainly is out of touch, and I think that’s proven by a number of things, John.”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s framework — media disconnect from public opinion on deportation policy. The reporter directly asked the question; Leavitt’s answer was direct.

The out-of-touch framework:

• Media criticism of deportations
• Public polling supporting deportations
• Disconnect obvious
• Media perspective narrow
• Public perspective broader

“Number one, there was a New York Times poll that was released prior to President Trump’s inauguration by the New York Times, which of course is a legacy media outlet that showed that 83% of Americans support deporting the individuals that you mentioned, illegal immigrant criminals, especially those who have committed heinous crimes in the interior of our country.”

The New York Times poll:

• 83% support deportation of illegal alien criminals
• Especially heinous crime perpetrators
• Legacy media own polling
• Pre-inauguration timing
• Strong majority framework

97% Prior Removal Orders

“And I received a very actually interesting statistic on this front from ICE this week. 97% of the deportations that this administration has made thus far are of individuals who had a removal order from the previous administration, but were never removed from the interior of our country.”

Leavitt’s ICE statistic:

• 97% prior removal orders
• Biden administration issued orders
• Never executed
• Trump executing Biden’s unenforced orders
• Legal framework existing

The significance:

• Biden administration failure
• Legal orders unenforced
• Trump executing law
• Not new policy
• Previous administration’s law

“So this shows that the previous administration was actually defying our laws, and all this administration is doing is simply following the laws, the immigration laws of this great country.”

Leavitt’s framework:

• Biden defied law
• Trump following law
• Immigration laws existing
• Enforcement not creation
• Legal framework simple

Sanctuary Cities

“It’s very interesting that Democrat officials in these cities who have been completely overrun and overwhelmed by illegal immigrant criminals would refuse support and help to cure this problem that has especially taken over their cities.”

Leavitt’s framework:

• Democrat officials criticized
• Cities overrun acknowledged
• Help refused
• Cure available but rejected
• Political priority over governance

Sanctuary city context:

• Various Democratic cities
• Limited cooperation with ICE
• Detainer non-compliance
• Political positioning
• Operational issues

“I guess they don’t want to admit they’ve been wrong with their sanctuary city policies.”

Leavitt’s interpretation:

• Political pride motivation
• Admission of error avoided
• Policy failure framework
• Character-based explanation
• Political cost concerns

Wise to Comply

“I’m not sure you’ll have to ask them about their intentions, but they would be very wise to comply with this administration because this administration is hell-bent on enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.”

Leavitt’s direct message:

• Wise to comply framework
• Administration hell-bent
• Immigration law enforcement
• Clear warning
• Consequences implicit

The “wise to comply” language:

• Diplomatic phrasing
• Implicit threat
• Cooperation encouraged
• Resistance framework cautioned
• Political pressure

“And this administration will continue to arrest and detain and deport illegal migrant criminals.”

The commitment framework:

• Arrest ongoing
• Detention ongoing
• Deportation ongoing
• Continuation pledge
• Policy permanence

Won’t Defy Laws

“And what we won’t do is defy our nation’s immigration laws like the previous administration, who had these orders of removal on illegal immigrants across the country, and were refusing to execute on them.”

Leavitt’s framework:

• Law defiance refused
• Biden’s defiance identified
• Removal orders unexecuted
• Trump contrast
• Law execution commitment

“We will continue to remove illegal criminals from our nation’s interior.”

Continuation commitment:

• Interior enforcement ongoing
• Criminal focus
• Ongoing operations
• Policy permanence
• Clear messaging

Guantanamo Expansion

“Detainees of Cuban and Haitian descent were both detained at Guantanamo. Are you looking at that model in setting up this detention facility?”

The reporter’s historical context:

• Clinton-era Guantanamo detention
• Cuban refugee detention
• Haitian refugee detention
• Model precedent
• Migrant operation center

The Clinton-era detention:

• Cuban rafters (1994-95)
• Haitian boat people
• Guantanamo migrant operation
• Large-scale detention
• Historic precedent

“Secretary Hegseth, I believe, was on television this morning answering this question, and he said that the Department of Defense is already on it. He has directed his agency to ensure that Gitmo is increasing their capacity for beds, and that’s exactly what President Trump’s executive order did.”

Leavitt’s framework:

• DOD already engaged
• Hegseth direction
• Bed capacity increasing
• Trump executive order implemented
• Immediate action

The executive order:

• Trump signed January 29
• Migrant Operation Center expansion
• 30,000 bed capacity target
• DOD and DHS coordination
• Immediate implementation

Noem Coordination

“It directed Secretary Hegseth and also Secretary Noam to expand the migrant operation center at the Naval Station to provide for this extra detention space. And as Secretary Hegseth confirmed this morning, that operation is underway.”

The framework:

• Secretary Hegseth (DOD)
• Secretary Noem (DHS)
• Naval Station Guantanamo
• Migrant Operation Center
• Expansion underway

The coordination:

• DOD military facility
• DHS immigration authority
• ICE operational
• Joint expansion
• Integrated operation

Guantanamo Context

Guantanamo Bay Naval Station:

• Cuba location (U.S. military base)
• Historic detention facility
• Post-9/11 terrorist detention
• Migrant Operation Center separate
• Expansion capability

The MOC history:

• 1990s Cuban/Haitian detention
• Various subsequent operations
• Current expansion framework
• Non-U.S. territory
• Legal framework distinct

The Trump framework:

• Worst of the worst detained at Gitmo
• Criminal illegal aliens
• Terrorist-level threats
• Not general population
• Political signal

ICE Arrests Report

“On January 27, 2025, ICE Chicago arrested a citizen of Guatemala. On January 28, 2025, ICE Atlanta arrested a citizen of South Korea. On January 28, ICE New York arrested a Mexican national previously charged by the… And on January 28, ICE Philly arrested a citizen of Mexico.”

The arrest report:

• Chicago: Guatemalan citizen
• Atlanta: South Korean citizen
• New York: Mexican national with prior charges
• Philadelphia: Mexican citizen
• Multi-city operations

The operational framework:

• Nationwide scope
• Various nationalities
• Multiple cities simultaneously
• Sanctuary city operations
• Priority-based targeting

The broader context:

• Thousands of arrests across administration
• Various criminal convictions among arrestees
• Gang members targeted
• Sexual offenders prioritized
• Violent criminals focus

Criminal Illegal Alien Message

“Our message is simple. If you are a criminal, illegal alien, you will be arrested and deported.”

Leavitt’s closing framework:

• Simple message
• Criminal illegal alien
• Arrest inevitability
• Deportation inevitability
• Clear policy

The messaging strategy:

• Direct public communication
• Legal principle restated
• Enforcement commitment
• Deterrence element
• Accountability framework

Deportation Priorities

Trump administration deportation priorities:

Criminal priority:

• Convicted criminals
• Violent offenders
• Gang members
• Sexual offenders
• Previously deported

Public safety priority:

• Recent arrivals
• Unvetted individuals
• National security threats
• Terrorism connections
• Cartel affiliations

Operational framework:

• ICE operations expanded
• Resources increased
• Authority restored
• Cooperation demanded
• Results tracked

Public Opinion Framework

The 83% New York Times poll context:

• Strong majority support
• Legacy media polling
• Pre-inauguration timing
• Consistent with other polls
• Political reality

Other polling:

• Gallup deportation support
• Pew Research consistent
• Various polls aligned
• Majority framework
• Bipartisan-adjacent

The media disconnect:

• Coverage focused on family separation
• Stories emphasize specific cases
• Aggregate policy support ignored
• Editorial framework different
• Reporting bias framework

Significance

The briefing captured:

1. Media out of touch: 83% public support for deportation
2. 97% prior removal orders: Trump executing Biden’s unenforced orders
3. Sanctuary cities warned: Wise to comply framework
4. Gitmo expansion: DOD-DHS coordinated operation
5. Multi-city ICE operations: Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia
6. Simple message: Criminal illegal alien arrested and deported

The 97% prior removal orders statistic represented significant framing. Trump’s deportations largely executing Biden-era legal orders that Biden administration declined to enforce. The legal framework existed; enforcement was political choice.

The sanctuary cities warning — “wise to comply” — signaled federal-local relations tension. Democratic officials facing pressure; federal resources leveraging compliance.

Guantanamo expansion represented operational escalation. MOC capacity increases, DOD-DHS coordination, worst-offender detention — all signaling serious deportation infrastructure.

The multi-city arrest report demonstrated operational scope. Various nationalities, simultaneous operations, sanctuary city operations — comprehensive enforcement.

Key Takeaways

• Leavitt on media out of touch: “I think that media certainly is out of touch. There was a New York Times poll that was released prior to President Trump’s inauguration that showed that 83% of Americans support deporting the individuals that you mentioned, illegal immigrant criminals, especially those who have committed heinous crimes in the interior of our country.”
• Leavitt on 97% prior removal orders: “97% of the deportations that this administration has made thus far are of individuals who had a removal order from the previous administration, but were never removed from the interior of our country. So this shows that the previous administration was actually defying our laws, and all this administration is doing is simply following the laws.”
• Leavitt on sanctuary cities: “They would be very wise to comply with this administration because this administration is hell-bent on enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. And this administration will continue to arrest and detain and deport illegal migrant criminals.”
• Leavitt on Gitmo expansion: “Secretary Hegseth directed his agency to ensure that Gitmo is increasing their capacity for beds, and that’s exactly what President Trump’s executive order did. It directed Secretary Hegseth and also Secretary Noam to expand the migrant operation center at the Naval Station to provide for this extra detention space. That operation is underway.”
• Leavitt on simple message: “Our message is simple. If you are a criminal, illegal alien, you will be arrested and deported.”