Fact check: How many illegal immigrants did biden remove

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the Biden administration removed approximately 1.1 million immigrants through deportations from the beginning of fiscal year 2021 through February 2024 ^[1]. More specifically, over 271,000 immigrants were deported in the last fiscal year alone, representing the largest number of deportations in nearly a decade according to ICE data ^[2].

The data shows that Biden's daily removal average was 742 per day in FY 2024, which is actually higher than the Trump administration's early 2025 average of 661 daily removals ^[3]. The Migration Policy Institute reports that the Biden administration is on track to carry out as many removals and returns as the Trump administration did ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context:

• Scale of border encounters vs. removals: While the Biden administration removed over 1 million people, US Border Patrol confirmed more than 7.2 million illegal migrants trying to cross the US-Mexico border between January 2021 and January 2024, with 2023 being a record year with over 2.5 million encounters ^[4]. This suggests a significant gap between encounters and actual removals.
• Policy focus differences: The Biden administration focused its deportation efforts on recent border arrivals rather than interior enforcement ^[1], representing a strategic shift from previous approaches.
• Ongoing enforcement actions: Since February 2025, USCIS has initiated removal proceedings against more than 26,700 aliens with no legal basis to remain ^[5], indicating continued enforcement activity beyond the Biden presidency.
• Policy changes impact: Recent sources mention that Biden administration guidelines for ICE actions were rescinded, allowing for more effective immigration enforcement ^[6], suggesting that enforcement capabilities may have been constrained during parts of the administration.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral but could be interpreted through different political lenses:

• Conservative viewpoint beneficiaries: Those arguing for stricter immigration enforcement might emphasize the 7.2 million border encounters versus 1.1 million removals, suggesting inadequate enforcement.
• Liberal viewpoint beneficiaries: Supporters of the Biden administration might highlight that deportations exceeded Trump's 2019 record and that the daily removal rate was actually higher than early Trump 2025 figures.
• Missing nuance: The question doesn't distinguish between different types of removals (voluntary returns, formal deportations, expedited removals) or acknowledge the complexity of immigration enforcement during a period of unprecedented border encounters.

The framing as "illegal immigrants" rather than "undocumented immigrants" or "migrants" may reflect a particular political perspective, though both terms are used in official government communications referenced in the sources.