How many total removals of undocumented immigrants occurred each year during the Trump administration (2017–2020/2021)?
Executive summary
Official public reporting and multiple secondary analyses show that removals (deportations and returns) during Donald Trump’s first administration were roughly 1.5 million across FY2017–FY2020, with single-year totals varying by source and by whether “returns/expulsions” (Title 42, expedited removals, CBP returns) are included [1] [2]. Detailed year-by-year totals differ across datasets because DHS breaks removals into ICE interior removals and CBP border removals, and some analysts include Title 42 expulsions and expedited returns that other summaries treat separately [3] [4] [5].
1. What the main official/academic sources report
Migration Policy Institute’s synthesis reports roughly 1.5 million deportations across the four fiscal years of the Trump term (FY2017–FY2020) and contrasts that with about 1.1 million removals since FY2021 through early 2024 [1]. Pew Research Center reports a combined CBP+ICE removals figure for FY2018 of 337,287 as an example of how border and interior removals are combined in DHS reporting; similar single‑year DHS totals exist for other fiscal years but require combining multiple DHS tables [4]. Econofact emphasizes that interior removals (ICE interior deportations) under Trump rose relative to the late-Obama years but “never exceeded 100,000” annually in that interior category — underscoring that much of the 1.5 million total comes from border returns/expulsions, not interior ICE removals alone [3].
2. Why year-by-year numbers look inconsistent across sources
Analysts disagree mainly because they define “deportations/removals” differently. Some counts include expedited removals, Title 42 expulsions and CBP returns (fast border returns) while others report only formal removal orders executed by ICE (interior removals). For example, a Real Instituto Elcano analysis highlights that if Title 42 expulsions and expedited removals are included, 2020’s total deportations/expulsions reach 393,000 — a much larger single‑year figure than interior removals alone [5]. Migration Policy and The Independent explicitly note that many reported totals combine removals and returns, which inflates comparison with interior‑only removal statistics [1] [2].
3. Approximate annual totals reported or implied in coverage
- FY2017–FY2020 aggregate: Several outlets and analysts converge on about 1.5 million removals across those four fiscal years, but they do not always publish the exact per‑year breakdown in the same table [1] [2].
- FY2018 example: DHS combined CBP+ICE removals = 337,287 in FY2018 [4].
- FY2020: Inclusion of Title 42 and expedited removals yields a 2020 total cited as 393,000 deportations/expulsions in one analysis [5].
- Interior removals (ICE) per year under Trump: remained under ~100,000 annually in 2017–2019 per Econofact [3].
These figures imply sizable year‑to‑year variation driven by border flows and policy tools (Title 42, expedited removals), not just changes in interior enforcement [3] [5].
4. Limits of the available reporting and why precise per‑year answers are hard
DHS and its subagencies have produced multiple datasets (ICE interior removals, CBP removals/returns, Title 42 expulsions, expedited removals, reinstatements) that are not always synthesized consistently by secondary sources, and some analyses avoid combining categories because they represent different legal processes [3] [4] [1]. Migration Policy and Pew explicitly note the need to combine CBP and ICE counts to approximate total removals [1] [4]. Some outlets also report totals that include “returns” or administrative expulsions that others exclude, producing divergent yearly totals [2] [5].
5. Competing interpretations and what they imply for comparisons
Pro‑enforcement narratives emphasize ICE interior arrests and removal orders as the core metric; critics and neutral analysts point out that most of the high aggregate totals under Trump reflect border expulsions/returns and expedited processes rather than interior mass deportations [3] [5]. Migration Policy frames Trump-era totals (1.5 million across FY2017–FY2020) as comparable in scale to early Biden totals if one counts all categories [1]. The Independent reports about 1.2 million removals under Trump via removal orders and further large numbers of returns/turnaways, underscoring that comparisons depend on which legal categories are counted [2].
6. Bottom line for a clear answer you can cite
Available public analyses converge on roughly 1.5 million total removals (removals + returns/expulsions) in FY2017–FY2020 but differ on per‑year splits because some years’ totals hinge on whether Title 42 and expedited expulsions are included; concrete single‑year DHS figures do exist (e.g., FY2018 = 337,287 combined removals) and can be compiled into a year‑by‑year table if you want a sourced, category‑by‑category breakdown [1] [4] [5]. If you want, I can extract and tabulate the DHS/ICE/CBP numbers by fiscal year and by category (interior removals, CBP removals/returns, Title 42/expedited) using these sources.