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Fact check: How have deportation numbers changed under the Biden administration since 2021?
Executive Summary
The available analyses show that deportations under the Biden administration increased markedly after 2021, culminating in a reported decade-high of roughly 271,000 removals in fiscal year 2024 and about 1.1 million total enforcement actions since FY2021 when including easier border returns, expedited removals, and other returns [1] [2]. Reporting emphasizes that much of the increase reflects border apprehensions and expedited returns rather than interior removals, and different sources highlight both the scale and the composition of those actions, with ICE statistics and press analyses offering overlapping but distinct framings [3] [1].
1. Why the Numbers Jumped: Border Apprehensions and Streamlined Returns
ICE and journalistic analyses converge on a central driver: a surge in border encounters produced large numbers of removals and returns, which pushed annual totals up by 2024. ICE’s annual reporting attributes the FY2024 spike to increased deportation flights, streamlined travel arrangements with destination countries, and a higher volume of people processed after apprehension at the border, producing the highest deportation tally since 2014 [4] [5]. Independent trackers and ICE statistics further distinguish between “returns” and formal removals, noting that many actions classified in aggregate enforcement totals are expedited returns or border returns that are operationally and legally different from removals carried out from the US interior, which is important context when comparing year-to-year figures and presidential records [2] [3].
2. How Different Sources Count: Returns Versus Removals and Timeframes
Analysts disagree on comparisons because measurement choices shape conclusions. One dataset aggregates various enforcement outcomes since FY2021 to estimate roughly 1.1 million deportation-related actions, emphasizing that a substantial share were returns carried out directly at the border and thus less resource-intensive than interior removals [2]. ICE’s FY2024 reporting and related government summaries focus on FY totals—reporting about 271,000 deportations in the 12 months ending September 30, 2024—and highlight operational changes such as expedited removal processing from May 2023 onward that produced hundreds of thousands of processed migrants [1] [3]. The distinction between a cumulative multi-year tally and a single fiscal year spike explains apparent discrepancies across the analyses [2] [4].
3. Composition of Those Deported: Criminality, Destinations, and Country Cooperation
ICE’s reports and media summaries emphasize that a portion of those deported had criminal convictions or charges, but the majority of removals reflected border appraisals and destination logistics, with Mexico repeatedly named as the most common destination due to geographic proximity and established return processes [4] [5]. ICE’s FY2024 breakdown notes roughly one-third of deportees had criminal charges or convictions, though the share convicted of violent crimes such as homicide remained below 1 percent, underscoring how broad enforcement totals blend public-safety-related removals and routine immigration-related returns [4]. Reporting also credits expanded travel procedures and agreements with countries for enabling more flights and higher volumes in FY2024, which materially affected totals without necessarily indicating a uniform shift in interior enforcement priorities [5] [1].
4. How These Figures Compare to the Trump Years and the Political Framing
Multiple analyses explicitly compare the Biden-era totals to Trump-era numbers, with ICE and government reports stating FY2024 deportations exceeded the Trump-era peak in 2019 and reached the highest level since 2014, a framing that undercuts simple “more lenient” vs. “tougher” narratives tied to presidential rhetoric [6] [1]. Journalists and trackers note that policy intentions early in the Biden administration sought to roll back certain Trump-era restrictions, but operational realities—especially border flows, expedited removal powers, and bilateral logistics—drove enforcement volumes upward by 2024 [6] [2]. Observers with different agendas use these numbers selectively: advocates who emphasize humanitarian reforms stress distinctions between returns and interior removals, while critics and some law-and-order proponents highlight raw deportation counts and the FY2024 spike to argue for stricter enforcement [2] [1].
5. Bottom Line and Outstanding Questions Moving Forward
The data establish that deportation-related actions rose significantly under Biden after 2021 and peaked in FY2024, driven primarily by border processing and expedited returns rather than a uniform increase in interior removals; ICE reports quantify the FY2024 total near 271,000 and trackers aggregate roughly 1.1 million enforcement actions since FY2021 when counting returns and removals together [1] [2]. Important open questions remain about the breakdown of those totals going forward: how future policy changes, border flow dynamics, and international travel agreements will affect the mix of expedited returns versus formal removals; and how differing counting methods will continue to shape public and political interpretation of enforcement statistics [3] [4].