VP Vance on mass deportations: We've made great progress, but 'Rome wasn't built in a day'

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Vice President JD Vance said that while the Trump administration has made great progress in undoing the damage from the border crisis that was caused by the Biden-Harris administration, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

“President Biden gutted the entire immigration enforcement machine of this country. We are trying to rebuild so that we actually empower people to enforce the immigration laws. … It is common sense. It’s what the American people want us to do,” Vance said in response to a question about the issue from Blaze Media.

Vance traveled to South Texas with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to meet with Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), Border Patrol, and local leadership to discuss what has improved and what still needs fixing.

“This costs money,” Vance said about the deportation operations. “One of the most important parts of the president’s reconciliation priorities is, of course, tax reform on the one hand and, on the other hand, making sure we get proper resources so we can pay for the flights.”

Vance asserted that the Trump administration is working on expanding the scope of deportations every day and that “we’re going to get on working on it for the remainder of the president’s term.”

'Much more has to be done, but America is finally headed on the right track.'

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Director Gabbard revealed that an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network used the Biden-Harris open border to get thousands of Central Asians into the United States, including many with ties to terrorists groups. While some were arrested in 2024, Gabbard said only eight were deported or kept in custody.

“The rest of them were released back into our country. Where are they? What are they doing? What may they be plotting? This is just the beginning. There are many, many areas where we need to stay focused on,” Gabbard said.

One of the brightest spots for the Trump administration is the historic decrease in illegal crossings. From daily highs of up to 10,000 illegal crossings during the Biden-Harris administration, there are barely 300 daily encounters by U.S. Border Patrol today.

The dramatic decrease in crossings is a welcome relief to border towns like Eagle Pass.

"President Trump has brought a breath of fresh air to Texas and the country. My district has been at the epicenter of this crisis — overnight, communities along the border like Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and El Paso are now safer due to common-sense border policy changes by the White House. Much more has to be done, but America is finally headed on the right track," said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R), who represents much of Texas' southern borderlands.

President Trump implemented tariffs against Mexico and Canada for not doing enough to curb the flow of fentanyl. Vance said the United States does not want to have an unfriendly relationship with its neighbors but that the status quo has to change.

"Look, the president obviously cares deeply about the American people. He serves the American people first. I actually think he's doing a huge favor to the people of Mexico, because if they don't get control of these cartels, the people of Mexico are going to wake up in a narco-state where the cartels have more power than their own government," Vance explained.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will announce tariffs on U.S. goods on Sunday in Mexico City's Zócalo.

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