Disagreement amongst Trump officials over how to deport 1 million people in the administration's first year became so heated that advisers had to "clear the room," according to NBC News.
The network reported that the disagreement stemmed from a plan to enter the last known address of illegal immigrants without a warrant. Former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Caleb Vitello took issue with the plan. Vitello pointed out that the addresses of the 700,000 people being targeted because they had previous orders of removal hadn't been verified recently.
Vitello worried that U.S. citizens could get swept up in the raids, given that law enforcement planned to enter the homes without warrants or updated information and then expedite their removal.
Pushing the plan was Rodney Scott, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. At a February 2025, he became visibly angry and slammed his hands on a table, according to the outlet. Vitello was undeterred in his opposition, leading to an emotional escalation and the room being cleared.
NBC News reported that the confrontation is detailed in an upcoming book, Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump's Mass Deportation Program, written by network correspondent Julia Ainsley.
Harper Collins describes the book as a "revealing, news driven account of the Trump Administration's mass deportation program, featuring never-before-told stories and behind-the-scenes reporting from NBC News' Senior Homeland Security Correspondent."
Harper Collins says the book details how some Trump officials prioritized "spectacle and punishment" over "security and legal constraints."
Although the number of people being held in immigration detention under Trump swelled during the first year of his second term, that number has been trending downward in 2026. In January, the daily average number of detainees was 72,000. That number dropped to about 63,000 in March. By early April, the figure was down to 60,311.
Also, leadership at the Department of Homeland Security has changed. In March, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino announced he was retiring. Also, President Trump fired Kristi Noem as DHS secretary, replacing her with Markwayne Mullin.
