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How many removals were formal deportations versus voluntary returns in 2024?
Executive summary
Available sources show multiple countries report 2024 returns/removals using different definitions; U.S. reporting distinguishes “removals” (formal orders) from “returns” or “voluntary departures,” and several sources indicate a large share of U.S. outbound actions in recent years have been voluntary returns rather than formal removals [1] [2]. For the UK in 2024, roughly 33,400 people were returned and about 8,200 (≈24%) were enforced removals while the remainder were voluntary or independent returns [3] [4].
1. Why the question is messy — different countries, different terms
Counting “removals” versus “voluntary returns” is not a single global statistic; it depends on national definitions and which administrative categories are included. The U.S. DHS/OHSS separates USBP/OFO “removals” (administrative deportations, expedited removals, reinstatements) from “returns” (voluntary returns, withdrawals), and labels voluntary departures separately in some tables [2]. The UK statistics also split enforced returns from voluntary and independent returns and explicitly count three return types (enforced, facilitated/monitored voluntary, and independent) [3].
2. United States in 2024 — sources point to a majority being returns, not formal removal orders
Analysts at Migration Policy report that under the Biden administration, “most deportations have been returns,” meaning migrants acknowledged unlawful entry and departed without receiving a formal removal order; their summary relies on DHS OHSS monthly tables through February 2024 and the broader trend that U.S. returns outnumber formal removals in recent years [1]. DHS repatriations documentation explains how USBP/OFO removals and returns are defined and that data through FY2024 are available in those categories, showing the agency distinguishes returns (voluntary) from removals (formal) [2]. Specific total counts for all U.S. repatriations in calendar 2024 are not given in the excerpted sources beyond Migration Policy’s statement that 1.1 million deportations since FY2021 through February 2024 were on pace with Trump-era totals [1]; available sources do not give a single 2024 split number in the provided excerpts.
3. United Kingdom in 2024 — concrete numbers and the voluntary-return majority
The Migration Observatory (Oxford) reports that in 2024 about 33,400 people were returned from the UK — the highest since 2016 — and that returns are categorized into enforced returns, voluntary returns monitored/assisted by the Home Office, and independent voluntary returns [3]. The Migration Observatory’s briefing further notes enforced returns numbered about 8,200 in 2024, roughly 24% of the total, meaning voluntary/independent returns made up the majority (≈76%) [4]. That UK breakdown is the clearest numeric example in the available sources of how the enforced-versus-voluntary split can look when agencies publish disaggregated counts [3] [4].
4. Why voluntary returns can dominate counts — policy, practicality, and incentives
Historical practice and policy choices matter. In U.S. practice, Border Patrol once routinely allowed voluntary returns for many Mexicans apprehended at the border; policy shifts since 2005 have sometimes pushed toward formal removals, but the recent trend identified by Migration Policy is an increase in returns as the dominant disposition again [5] [1]. For the UK, the Home Office prefers voluntary returns when feasible because they are cheaper and administratively simpler; independent voluntary returns increased from 2021 to 2024 and monitored voluntary returns saw the largest increase most recently [3].
5. Caveats and limits of current reporting
Available sources do not present a single, authoritative U.S. number for 2024 that divides all outbound actions into “formal removals” versus “voluntary returns” in the excerpts provided; Migration Policy describes the trend and DHS/OHSS provides categories and FY2010–2024 coverage, but the precise 2024 split for the U.S. is not in the supplied snippets [1] [2]. The UK figures are explicit and comparable because the Home Office’s categories map cleanly onto “enforced” versus “voluntary” returns in the Migration Observatory reporting [3] [4]. Different agencies also use distinct nomenclature (returns, voluntary departure, voluntary return, expedited removal), so apples-to-apples comparisons across countries require careful mapping of categories [2] [6].
6. What competing perspectives say and why they matter
Some policy analysts contend that “voluntary” returns can be coercive in practice—detention and enforcement pressure may push people to accept voluntary departure to leave detention sooner—while other actors present voluntary return as a less punitive, administratively efficient outcome that preserves some future legal options for migrants [7] [8]. Migration Policy emphasizes the factual trend that returns outnumber formal removal orders in the recent U.S. data it examined [1]; contrasting voices (think-tank analyses dating back to earlier administrations) warn that overuse of returns can undercut legal accountability and deterrence goals [8].
Conclusion: If you want a precise 2024 split for a single country, the UK reporting gives a clear figure (≈33,400 returns; ~8,200 enforced) [3] [4]. For the United States, available reporting in these sources documents a strong, documented trend toward returns comprising most outbound actions in recent years, but the exact 2024 numeric breakdown is not contained in the provided excerpts and would require consulting the DHS OHSS repatriations tables cited by Migration Policy for the specific FY/calendar-year counts [1] [2].