Washington DC (US), May 12, 2026, BNN Web Staff: US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his administration’s immigration crackdown and anti-drug operations, claiming that tariff threats by Washington compelled several countries to accept deported migrants who were initially refused entry.
Addressing guests during the second ‘Rose Garden Club’ dinner hosted at the White House in honour of Police Week, Trump said his administration had carried out nearly 200,000 criminal arrests nationwide since he returned to office and had intensified deportation efforts against undocumented migrants involved in criminal activities.
He stated that in some cases, countries were reluctant to take back deported nationals, but quickly changed their position after the United States threatened economic penalties.
“Sometimes their country will say, ‘We don’t want them, we’re not taking them.’ I’ll say, ‘That’s okay, slap about a 25% tariff on their country,’ and they call back saying they would love to have them back immediately,” Trump said during the event.
The US President further claimed that the Department of Homeland Security had removed nearly 615,000 undocumented criminal migrants over the past year. He also asserted that no illegal migrants had been admitted through the southern border during that period.
Highlighting anti-drug operations, Trump claimed that fentanyl smuggling across US borders had dropped sharply under his administration.
According to him, the flow of fentanyl entering through land borders had fallen by more than 60 per cent, while smuggling through maritime routes had declined by 97 per cent.
Trump also praised American law enforcement agencies for their role in the crackdown, specifically acknowledging the work of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Marshals Service, ATF, Homeland Security officials, and state and local police departments.
“They’re all incredible patriots, they’re incredible people,” he said while commending the agencies for their efforts.
