Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How many illegals were deported by Obama
Executive summary
Available sources show a range of figures but consistently report that the Obama administration carried out more removals/deportations than most recent presidents: reporting includes “more than 2 million” removals through mid‑administration counts [1], roughly 2.7 million removals over eight years in a later analysis [2], and multiple outlets citing annual peaks around 400,000 removals [1] [3]. Definitions and counting changes make direct year‑to‑year comparisons difficult, and sources disagree on exact totals [4] [5].
1. Numbers often cited: millions, not a single agreed figure
Contemporary reporting and later analyses provide several commonly cited totals for Obama‑era removals: Pew and DHS data noted “more than 2 million” removals since 2009 and a record 438,421 removals in FY2013 [1]; a February 2025 analysis put total removals at about 2.7 million over eight years, averaging 942 per day [2]; other outlets and compilations have reported totals ranging from roughly 1.6 million (through 2012 in one PBS account) up to claims of 3 million or 5.3 million in some summaries, reflecting differing metrics and timeframes [6] [7] [8].
2. Why totals differ: “removals,” “returns,” “expulsions,” and changing definitions
Sources emphasize that federal statistics are compiled from multiple categories — removals (formal orders), returns (people turned back), and expulsions — and that counting conventions changed beginning in the Bush era and accelerated under Obama, which affects totals [4] [5]. Snopes and migration analysts note that shifts in how border‑related actions were fingerprinted and recorded increased the counts that appear in ICE/DHS statistics, making historical comparisons misleading if you don’t use the same categories [4].
3. Annual patterns: peaks early in the administration and shifting priorities
Several sources identify the highest annual totals during the early‑to‑mid Obama years, with FY2013 often called the peak year (about 438,421 removals in FY2013) and interior removals elevated in his first term [1] [3] [5]. Migration Policy Institute reporting documents a pattern of high enforcement early, a dip when new enforcement priorities focused on criminals and recent border crossers were instituted, then a modest rebound toward the end of the presidency [9].
4. Disagreement among analysts and fact‑checkers
Independent fact‑checks and think tanks diverge on interpretation: Factchequeado’s later compilation [10] concluded Obama oversaw about 2.75 million deportations in eight years [2], while the Center for Immigration Studies in 2013 argued Obama’s totals were not record‑breaking when measured on consistent historical terms [5]. Snopes explains the record claims but underscores that definitional changes mean the headline number can be misleading unless you state which categories are counted [4].
5. What to watch for when someone cites a single number
When you hear a single Obama “deportation” figure, check whether the speaker is counting only DHS “removals,” or also “returns” and other actions; whether the figure covers part of a fiscal year; and whether it includes border‑turnbacks that earlier eras did not count the same way [4] [5]. Different outlets may quote FY totals, multi‑year aggregates, or combined metrics — and that choice materially changes the headline.
6. Context and policy drivers behind the numbers
Reporting highlights that policy choices (enforcement priorities, cooperation with state/local law enforcement, and resources devoted to ICE and CBP) and operational changes (fingerprinting and administrative changes) drove the counts as much as the underlying flows of people [9] [11]. Migration Policy and DHS statements indicate the Obama administration emphasized criminal removals and recent border crossers at particular points, which altered the composition of removals [9] [11].
7. Bottom line for readers
There is no single universally accepted “how many” that all reputable sources agree on without caveats: mainstream counts place Obama‑era removals in the multi‑million range (commonly “more than 2 million” or ~2.7 million depending on the analysis) and identify FY2013 as a high point [1] [2]. But analysts warn that counting methods and category choices materially affect totals, so responsible discussion must name which DHS metrics are being cited [4] [5].
Limitations: available sources do not mention a single, definitive canonical total that is universally accepted without qualification; all figures above are drawn from the cited reporting and analyses [2] [1] [9] [6] [5] [4].