Fact check: How many illegals were deported under Biden

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the Biden administration deported approximately 1.5 million people from FY 2021 to FY 2024, with most deportations originating from the border ^[1]. This figure represents the total deportations across Biden's four-year term.

The data reveals that Biden's deportation numbers equaled those of the Trump administration during their respective terms ^[1]. However, recent comparative data shows interesting patterns: ICE deported around 12,000 migrants in February 2024 under Biden, compared to approximately 11,000 in February 2025 under the current Trump administration ^[2]. The Biden administration maintained a daily removal average of 742 in FY 2024 ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question uses the term "illegals," which lacks important context about different categories of deportations and enforcement actions. The analyses reveal that deportation numbers can include various categories: those interdicted by the Coast Guard, immigrants who left voluntarily, or those turned around at the border ^[4].

A critical missing element is the dramatic increase in ICE's nondetained docket during Biden's term, which more than doubled from 3.7 million cases in FY 2021 to 8.1 million in FY 2024 ^[1]. This suggests that while deportations occurred, the overall population of unauthorized migrants being monitored increased significantly.

Immigration advocacy groups would benefit from emphasizing the humanitarian aspects and due process concerns, while immigration enforcement organizations and political opponents would benefit from focusing solely on raw deportation numbers without context about legal processes or humanitarian considerations.

The analyses also show that deportation effectiveness varies significantly - the current Trump administration's "arrest pattern is highly erratic and has failed to sustain higher levels of removal activity" ^[3], suggesting that raw numbers don't tell the complete story about enforcement effectiveness.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The term "illegals" is dehumanizing language that frames the discussion in a biased manner, referring to people rather than their legal status. This terminology can influence how readers perceive the information and the individuals being discussed.

The question implies that deportation numbers alone measure immigration policy effectiveness, omitting crucial context about legal processes, humanitarian considerations, and the complexity of immigration status. The analyses show that deportation figures can be misleading without understanding what categories of people are included and the circumstances of their removal.

Additionally, the framing suggests that higher deportation numbers are inherently better policy outcomes, ignoring the legal, humanitarian, and economic complexities of immigration enforcement that the analyses reveal through discussions of detention alternatives, legal processes, and varying enforcement approaches.