How does DHS define and distinguish removals, returns, repatriations, and voluntary departures in its monthly tables?
Executive summary
DHS treats "repatriations" as an umbrella statistic that mixes several distinct administrative actions—formal removals, returns (administrative/voluntary departures and withdrawals), and Title 42 expulsions—and its monthly tables reflect those different legal pathways separately and in aggregate [1] [2]. Understanding the practical difference matters because removals carry formal orders and reentry consequences, while returns and voluntary departures are non‑order movements that can be recorded differently across DHS components [3] [1].
1. What DHS means by "repatriations" and why the label matters
DHS defines repatriations broadly as the Department sending a noncitizen back to their country of citizenship or a third country, and its Key Homeland Security Metric (KHSM) treats repatriations as the sum of Title 8 removals (ICE and CBP), Title 8 returns (ICE and CBP administrative returns), and Title 42 expulsions—so "repatriation" in the monthly tables is an aggregate, not a single legal process [1] [2]. The label matters because policymakers and reporters may cite a single repatriation number while it includes both coercive removal orders and administrative or voluntary movements that have different legal consequences [1] [2].
2. How DHS defines and records "removals"
A removal is the compulsory, confirmed movement of an inadmissible or deportable alien out of the United States based on an order of removal, and those removed face administrative or criminal consequences on subsequent reentry because of the formal removal order [3]. Removals include ordinary removal orders issued following immigration court proceedings as well as expedited or other administrative removals processed by DHS components, and ICE and CBP produce removal counts that feed into DHS tables [4] [5].
3. How DHS defines and records "returns" (administrative and voluntary movements)
Returns are defined by DHS as the confirmed movement of an inadmissible or removable alien out of the United States not based on an order of removal and explicitly include voluntary departures, voluntary returns, withdrawals of applications for admission, and crew members required to remain aboard vessels—DHS treats these as non‑order departures and often as "administrative returns" in CBP and OFO reporting [1] [3]. The DHS monthly data distinguish returns from removals because returns typically do not result from a formal order and may be granted at ports of entry, by Border Patrol, or by CBP Office of Field Operations under discretionary authority [5] [6].
4. Voluntary departure: a legal mechanism with conditions and consequences
Voluntary departure (VD) is a statutory remedy that permits a noncitizen to leave at their own expense within a set timeframe to avoid a formal removal order; it can be granted by DHS officials or by immigration judges and is one subtype of "return" in DHS reporting [7] [1]. VD carries specific procedural requirements (timing windows, bonds, documentary proof, and consequences for failure to depart) and, if not honored, typically converts into a removal order with attendant bars and penalties—DHS and legal sources distinguish VD from withdrawals or administrative returns even while DHS may aggregate them as returns in tables [7] [4].
5. How DHS monthly tables present these categories and the practical reporting implications
Monthly DHS tables separate Title 8 removals and returns (with component-level counts from ICE and USBP/OFO) and also report Title 42 expulsions; DHS’s KHSM sums these to produce a single "repatriations" figure while also allowing users to disaggregate removals vs. returns, which is critical because removals and returns are counted under different legal authorities and have different immigration consequences [1] [2] [5]. Users of the monthly tables should therefore treat the headline repatriation number as a composite: if the question is legal status or future inadmissibility, the removal column is the relevant one; if the question is the number of people physically returned without orders, consult returns/voluntary departure and CBP administrative return rows [3] [6].
6. Key caveats, tensions, and where reporting can mislead
DHS’s labels and aggregation create legitimate confusion: advocacy groups and legal observers warn that CBP "voluntary returns" can be coerced and that reporting practices (CBP vs. ICE datasets, inclusion/exclusion rules, and Title 42 designations) affect trends and comparability across years and administrations [6] [2]. Congressional and academic sources underscore that shifts between removals and returns can change the headline totals without reflecting identical legal outcomes, so readers must check the disaggregated columns in DHS monthly tables to know whether a figure denotes an order of removal, an administrative return, or an expulsion [4] [2].