How many deportations occurred under the Biden administration each year (2021–2024)?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows a sharp rise in deportations over the Biden presidency from a low in FY2021 to a decade‑high in FY2024: ICE reported roughly 59,011 deportations in FY2021, about 72,177 in FY2022, 142,580 in FY2023, and roughly 271,000–271,484 in FY2024, with multiple outlets citing the FY2024 total as ~271k [1] [2] [3] [4]. Coverage emphasizes that many of the increases were border apprehensions and administratively returned migrants rather than interior ICE removals [5] [4].
1. Numbers by fiscal year — the available tallies
Public reporting and secondary compilations converge on a FY‑by‑FY view: FY2021 saw very low deportation totals (about 59,011), FY2022 rose modestly (about 72,177), FY2023 increased substantially (about 142,580), and FY2024 surged to roughly 271,000–271,484 deportations, the highest level since 2014 [1] [2] [4] [3]. Multiple outlets cite ICE’s FY2024 enforcement report putting deportations at about 271,000 to 271,484 and describe FY2024 as a decade high [3] [4] [6].
2. Why totals jump: border returns vs. interior removals
Analysts and reporting stress that a large share of the Biden‑period totals are recent border apprehensions and administrative returns—CBP and Border Patrol actions—rather than traditional ICE interior removals; Migration Policy notes an emphasis on recent border crossers and says the administration has carried out many voluntary/administrative returns [5]. The Guardian and BBC likewise report that most FY2024 deportations involved migrants apprehended by border officials, not ICE interior arrests [4] [7].
3. Definitions matter — “deportations,” “removals,” “returns”
Coverage uses terms (deportations, removals, returns, expulsions) that are not always interchangeable. Migration Policy and news outlets underline that the Biden administration’s count includes administrative returns and expulsions at the border, which inflate comparisons with interior removals under prior administrations if terms aren’t harmonized [5] [4]. ICE’s own reporting and journalism sometimes mix ICE removals and CBP returns in aggregate tallies cited by media [3] [8].
4. Context: an initial pause and later policy shifts
Biden ordered a 100‑day pause on many interior deportations early in his term, then issued prosecutorial‑discretion guidance prioritizing threats and recent crossers; subsequently, policy changes (including asylum limitations) and cooperative enforcement with Mexico are presented by reporters as contributors to rising return/removal totals by 2023–24 [5] [9] [4]. Migration Policy highlights prioritization of recent border crossers as a stated enforcement focus [5].
5. How reporters and researchers compare administrations
Outlets and think tanks draw different comparisons depending on scope: some compare total deportations/returns across administrations and find Biden on pace to match or exceed Trump’s totals when returns are included [5]. Reuters, BBC, and The Guardian emphasize that FY2024 surpassed any Trump year and was the highest since 2014, but they note differences in the composition of removals [3] [7] [4].
6. Contradictions and limits in the public record
There are data‑availability limits: ICE and DHS have shifted how and how often they publish detailed tables; some compilations (and later fact‑checks) present slightly different yearly figures (for example, sources cite 271,000 or 271,484 for FY2024 and give differing lower‑year totals) [1] [2] [3] [8]. Migration Policy’s synthesis through February 2024 cites cumulative counts that cover both removals and returns and notes the importance of definitions [5].
7. What this means politically and for future comparisons
Journalistic pieces link the sharp FY2023–24 rise to policy choices and border dynamics; critics of Biden argue he expanded removals despite earlier pledges, while administration defenders point to a focus on recent crossers and national‑security priorities [5] [4]. Because FY2024 totals include vast numbers of border returns, direct apples‑to‑apples comparisons with earlier interior‑removal‑focused years require care; Migration Policy and major outlets explicitly warn readers to check what each dataset counts [5] [3].
8. Bottom line and where to look next
For year‑by‑year figures 2021–2024, the most consistent publicly cited numbers in available reporting are: FY2021 ≈ 59,011; FY2022 ≈ 72,177; FY2023 ≈ 142,580; FY2024 ≈ 271,000–271,484 [1] [2] [4] [3]. If you need a single authoritative breakdown, consult ICE’s enforcement report and the Department of Homeland Security monthly/yearly statistics dashboards cited by Migration Policy and Reuters—recognizing each source’s definitional scope and published limits [8] [5] [3].
Limitations: available sources do not provide a single unified dataset with identical definitions for “deportation” across all years; different reporters and analysts include or exclude CBP returns, Title 42 expulsions, and voluntary departures in their summaries, which affects yearly totals [5] [8].