What were annual ICE and CBP deportation numbers for 2017–2020 compared with 2009–2016 and 2021–2024?
Executive summary
Available reporting and agency dashboards show that overall U.S. deportations and who carried them out shifted substantially across the periods you asked about: DHS removals averaged about 155,000 per year from FY2009–2016, fell to about 81,000 per year in FY2017–2020, and declined further to roughly 38,000 per year for ICE interior removals in FY2021–2024, while CBP/border removals and returns rose—ICE removed roughly 271,000 people in FY2024 and CBP/ICE combined removals and returns reached much higher totals tied to border processing (figures from Migration Policy Institute, ICE, DHS/OhSS, Reuters) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What the official numbers and reputable analyses actually say
Detailed DHS and ICE data—and analysts who repackage them—distinguish removals from returns and distinguish ICE interior removals from CBP border actions. Migration Policy Institute (MPI) reports interior removals averaged about 155,000/year in FY2009–16, fell to 81,000/year in FY2017–20 and to roughly 38,000/year in FY2021–24; at the same time ICE removed many people after border arrests, reaching 224,000 in FY2024 and ICE’s own report put total ICE removals in FY2024 near 271,000 [1] [4] [2]. Reuters and ICE materials confirm FY2024 removals were a decade-high, with Reuters noting about 271,000 removals for FY2024 [4] [3].
2. Why period-to-period comparisons can be misleading
Year-to-year shifts reflect not only policy but also process changes: the rise or fall in “interior” ICE removals versus “border” CBP removals depends on where migrants were encountered and how DHS counts expedited removals, Title 42 expulsions, voluntary returns, and Coast Guard interdictions—categories that have changed in prominence over the last decade [1] [2] [5]. MPI and OHSS emphasize that administrative returns and expedited procedures inflate or shift totals away from traditional ICE interior removals, complicating direct comparisons across administrations [1] [5].
3. The 2009–2016 baseline: high interior removals under Obama
Analysts cite the 2009–2016 period as a peak in ICE interior removals, with an average in the neighborhood of 155,000 per year for interior removals and much larger aggregate “deportation” activity when including returns and border actions—numbers that underpin claims that Obama-era removals were historically high [1] [6].
4. 2017–2020: Lower interior removals, but different emphasis
Across FY2017–20 the interior removals average fell to roughly 81,000/year, a decline MPI attributes to policy choices and shifting operational priorities; at the same time CBP continued to handle large numbers of border returns and expulsions, and FY2020 was also distorted by pandemic-era Title 42 expulsions and reduced Southwest Border apprehensions [1] [2].
5. 2021–2024: Interior removals fall while border removals rise
MPI and other analyses show interior ICE removals fell further in FY2021–24 (about 38,000/year on average), while removals tied to border encounters and expedited processes rose—ICE removed hundreds of thousands overall and MPI highlights 224,000 ICE removals after border arrests in FY2024 [1] [3] [7]" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[7]. Reuters and ICE also document FY2024 as a year with unusually high aggregate removals [4] [3].
6. CBP’s role and CBP numbers
CBP publishes enforcement statistics spanning FY2017–FY2026 and reports large numbers of encounters, expulsions and returns; CBP actions (OFO and Border Patrol) account for a substantial share of returns and expedited removals, and OHSS yearbooks collect those CBP removals/returns as distinct from ICE interior removals [5] [8].
7. Disagreements, interpretive disputes, and data limits
Journalists and analysts disagree about what the headline “deportation” numbers mean. Some outlets and DHS summaries aggregate returns, expulsions, Coast Guard interdictions and voluntary departures into broad removal tallies, which critics say can overstate forced removals; other analysts — including MPI and Reuters — separate interior ICE removals from border returns to show the operational shift toward border-based removals [3] [1] [9]. DHS/ICE reporting cadence and categorization changes (including Title 42 and other authorities) complicate apples-to-apples comparisons over long spans [2] [5].
8. What the available sources do not provide
Available sources do not provide a neat single-year, agency-by-agency table in this packet for every fiscal year 2009–2024 broken into ICE interior removals versus CBP removals/returns; to produce that precise table you must consult the ICE removals dashboards, CBP enforcement statistics pages, and OHSS yearbooks and then aggregate by fiscal year [10] [5] [11].
9. Bottom line for your comparison question
Use two linked facts: [12] interior ICE removals averaged ~155,000/year in FY2009–16, fell to ~81,000/year in FY2017–20 and to ~38,000/year in FY2021–24; [13] aggregate removals tied to border processing rose sharply by FY2024, with ICE reporting ~271,000 removals in FY2024 and MPI noting 224,000 ICE removals after border arrests—showing a shift from interior to border-focused removals rather than a simple overall decline or rise [1] [4] [3].