Which nationalities made up the largest shares of deportations in FY2024 and FY2025 and did that composition change?
Executive summary
ICE and related reporting show Mexico was the largest single nationality in recent U.S. deportations: Mexico accounted for the majority or plurality of removals in multiple datasets and news accounts covering FY2024 and the early FY2025 surge [1] [2] [3]. Sources indicate a sharp rise in overall removals between FY2024 and FY2025 and that the composition tilted even more toward Mexicans in FY2025, but public ICE tables and outside researchers flag data irregularities and incomplete releases that limit definitive, fully comparable country-by-country shares across the two years [4] [3] [2].
1. Mexico dominated deportations; other Central American nationalities trailed
Multiple compiled datasets and press analyses identify Mexicans as the single largest nationality removed from the United States in the 2024–25 period; one aggregator lists nearly three million removals for Mexico over a longer time window, far above the next countries—Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador—showing the same ranking pattern that news outlets and researchers document for FY2024–FY2025 [1] [5] [2]. Migration Policy Institute and news reporting describe Mexicans as a growing share of removals into FY2025, where Mexican-origin encounters and deportations rose relative to other nationalities [3] [2].
2. Aggregate deportation totals rose sharply between FY2024 and FY2025
ICE and congressional and media summaries report a substantial jump in removals: 271,484 removals in FY2024, the highest in a decade, and independent estimates put ICE removals near or above several hundred thousand in FY2025 [5] [3]. That overall increase changed the scale of deportation flows and, according to several sources, amplified the absolute number of Mexicans removed even if precise percentage-point shifts differ between datasets [5] [3].
3. FY2025 composition shifted toward Mexico, per multiple sources
Reporting from Newsweek and analysis from MPI and other outlets indicate that Mexicans became a larger share of removals in FY2025 compared with FY2024—Border Patrol encounters and ICE deportation records both show Mexico’s share rising through 2025 [2] [3]. The Guardian and other outlets likewise used ICE/CBP releases to document that Mexican nationals accounted for a growing fraction of enforcement actions over the FY2025 year [6] [3].
4. Data quality problems complicate year‑to‑year comparisons
Independent researchers warn that ICE’s posted removals files contained omissions and inconsistencies across early releases; the Deportation Data Project and others recommend using corrected “late July” datasets because earlier files mistakenly included or excluded categories such as expedited removals and voluntary returns, which distort nationality shares [4]. DHS and ICE have also changed the scope and cadence of public tables, producing gaps that prevent a clean apples‑to‑apples national‑origin comparison for some months [3] [4].
5. Administrative returns vs. formal removals: two different pictures
Analysts distinguish administrative returns (expedited removals, returns at the border) from formal ICE removals under immigration court orders; some sources say the top nationalities for administrative returns over a decade include the Philippines, China and India, showing that nationality rankings depend on which category is counted [7]. Public headlines about “deportations” after 2024 mix voluntary departures, expedited returns and formal removals, which can change which countries appear largest in any given tally [7] [3].
6. Where reporting and government claims diverge — and why it matters
DHS and White House statements highlighting half‑million or multi‑million departure figures combine voluntary self‑deportations, repatriations organized with other countries, and ICE removals; independent datasets and watchdogs caution that such aggregated claims obscure nationality breakdowns and the legal status of departures [8] [4]. That divergence matters for assessing who is actually being “deported” by U.S. agencies versus who leaves voluntarily or is returned via host‑country programs [8] [3].
7. Bottom line and limits of the record
Available reporting consistently places Mexicans as the largest nationality removed in FY2024 and shows Mexico gaining an even larger share into FY2025, with Central American nationalities next in rank [1] [5] [2]. However, ICE’s inconsistent table releases, corrections flagged by the Deportation Data Project, and differences between administrative returns and formal removals prevent a single, perfectly comparable country‑by‑country percentage for FY2024 versus FY2025; researchers therefore rely on corrected datasets and estimates to draw the broader conclusion that Mexico’s share rose [4] [3].
Limitations: my synthesis uses only the provided sources; available sources do not mention a definitive, fully reconciled ICE country‑by‑country percentage table that directly compares FY2024 and FY2025 shares without caveats [4] [3].