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How many illegals were deported by Biden
Executive summary
Counting deportations under President Biden depends on definitions and datasets: Migration Policy reports the Biden administration oversaw nearly 4.4 million "repatriations" (a combined total of deportations, expulsions and other returns) through the period covered in their survey [1]. ICE and DHS figures that isolate "removals" (formal deportations) show lower annual totals—e.g., reporting by TRAC and Reuters places Biden-era FY totals in the hundreds of thousands rather than millions [2] [3].
1. What people mean when they ask “How many illegals were deported by Biden” — definitions matter
Journalistic and policy sources use at least two different concepts: "repatriations" or "returns/expulsions" (which include Title 42 expulsions, CBP returns at the border, and other non‑court removals) versus "removals" or ICE deportations (formal removals after processes by ICE or immigration courts). Migration Policy’s nearly 4.4 million figure for the Biden era combines deportations with expulsions and other actions to block entry, so it is not a pure count of ICE removals [1]. ICE’s own statistics and specialized trackers like TRAC focus on removals and arrests and yield much smaller numbers per year [4] [2].
2. The large "4.4 million" number — what it represents and its limits
Migration Policy explicitly states the administration’s nearly 4.4 million "repatriations" combine deportations with expulsions and other returns and that that total already exceeds any single presidential term since the George W. Bush second term benchmark mentioned in their analysis [1]. That framing explains why large totals appear: when you add border expulsions and immediate returns to countries (which rose with high irregular arrivals) you get a much larger aggregate than counting ICE removals alone [1].
3. ICE/Removals vs. returns at the border — different pieces of the enforcement picture
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations publish removal statistics that are tracked separately from CBP returns and Title 42 expulsions; ICE’s site provides charts and categories for removals and notes that some datasets (like Title 42 expulsions) are specific operational measures [4]. Reporters and analysts caution against apples‑to‑apples errors: TRAC’s analyses track ICE removals and argue you should compare the same measures across administrations, otherwise totals can be misleading [2] [5].
4. Comparing Biden to other presidents — methodological disputes
Analysts disagree on which counts to use. Reuters reported that Trump’s first month removals were far less than the monthly average of Biden’s last full year, underscoring that higher border encounters during parts of Biden’s term made many returns easier to carry out [3]. TRAC also notes that comparing headline claims about one administration surpassing another depends heavily on which categories (removals, expulsions, self‑deportations, returns) are included [2] [5].
5. Political claims and contested tallies — both sides use different emphases
The White House for the subsequent Trump administration published claims about large deportation totals early in its term (e.g., 139,000 deportations in under 100 days), while independent trackers and watchdogs (TRAC, Reuters, KPBS interviews) questioned or parsed those numbers and highlighted differences in counting methods and timeframes [6] [5] [3] [7]. Migration Policy’s use of "repatriations" tends to be cited by those emphasizing the scale of returns during Biden’s term, whereas ICE/TRAC numbers are used by those seeking an apples‑to‑apples comparison of formal removals [1] [2].
6. What the available sources do not settle
Available sources do not mention a single definitive, uncontested number that equals “deportations by Biden” without qualification; instead they show multiple valid counts depending on definition [1] [2] [4]. They also do not offer a consolidated dataset within these search results that reconciles every category (removals, expulsions, paroles, self‑deportations) into one universally accepted total [1] [2] [4].
7. How to interpret and use these figures responsibly
If you want a conservative, like‑for‑like comparison with other presidents, use ICE "removals" or TRAC’s ICE‑based tallies and compare fiscal years [2] [4]. If you want the operational scale of returns and border‑level actions, Migration Policy’s combined "repatriations" figure (~4.4 million) captures expulsions and returns but should be labeled accordingly [1]. Reporters and analysts should always state which measure they’re citing and note the tradeoffs in inclusion when comparing administrations [1] [2].
Sources cited in this piece: Migration Policy (repatriations ~4.4M) [1]; TRAC/ICE removals analyses [2] [5]; ICE enforcement statistics [4]; Reuters reporting comparing monthly averages [3]; KPBS reporting on deportation flights and relative levels [7]; White House release with contested early‑term Trump counts referenced to show political use of figures [6].