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... Immigration arrests in the U.S. have soared in recent months, aided by more local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, increased use of technology to track and process people, as well as enhanced data sharing between federal agencies.

But the mass arrest campaign this summer did not lead to a commensurate increase in deportations -- according to preliminary U.S. government data reviewed by Reuters -- a reflection of the legal and logistical limits faced by President Donald Trump as he attempts to hit his mass deportation goals.

Even as arrests jumped to nearly 51,000 in August, setting a record for a third straight month, deportation numbers held mostly steady, averaging around 1,200 per day, the preliminary government data showed.

About the same number of people were deported per day in May, for example, when there were around 19,000 fewer arrests, according to arrests data obtained by the Deportation Data Project through a public records request and analyzed by Reuters.

The disconnect is partly due to who is being targeted, five current and former officials said. The arrests include a growing number of people with no criminal conviction or charge and without deportation orders, according to the Deportation Data Project figures.

Many of those picked up had pending asylum or other legal claims -- meaning they could not be immediately removed from the country unless they agreed to waive their rights and voluntarily depart.

A lack of available flights and limits set by receiving countries have also capped Trump's deportation ambitions, former officials said.

"This is a false narrative," White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in response to questions from Reuters. "Thanks to President Trump's strong immigration enforcement policies, three million illegals have left the United States." ...


More: Kremlev footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and interviews with three people familiar with the event. The oligarch paid to rent out one of the private islands, where a reception was held and where guests slept. He also covered other big-ticket items, like the fireworks show, and his team helped plan the event. Kremlev is the head of the International Boxing Association, a scandal-plagued sports group that has been financed by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The wedding payments came from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai that the boxing association uses for financial transactions.

Kremlev's previously unreported relationship with Trump Jr. represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin's circle financially supporting the president's son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family. For a decade, Putin's government, regarded as a chief adversary of the U.S., has been accused of efforts to influence American elections. Attempts by Russia to make inroads with the Trumps before the 2016 election exploded into controversy that dogged much of the president's first term.

In the days leading up to Trump Jr.'s wedding, Kremlev was in China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin, according to Chinese state media. The month before, Putin had bestowed him with a state honor, the Order of Friendship. The Ukrainian government has imposed sanctions on Kremlev personally, citing his closeness to Putin and Russian security services.

It's not clear why Kremlev helped pay for Trump Jr.'s wedding. The men appear to have met only recently. Public reporting suggests Trump Jr. could have afforded it himself, with Forbes recently estimating his net worth at roughly $300 million.

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