Fact check: How many illegal immigrants did Biden return

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the Biden administration deported more than 271,000 immigrants in the last fiscal year, surpassing Donald Trump's 2019 record ^[1]. The data shows that roughly 82% of these deportations involved migrants apprehended by border officials ^[1].

More specifically, Biden's daily removal average was 742 per day in FY 2024 ^[2], which actually exceeded early Trump administration performance. In February 2024 alone, the Biden administration deported around 12,000 migrants ^[3].

The Biden administration also implemented a voluntary self-deportation program offering travel assistance and stipends, with the first participant already returning to Honduras ^[4]. Additionally, Biden extended temporary legal status for nearly 1 million immigrants from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela ^[5], which would have affected overall deportation numbers.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the complexity of immigration enforcement metrics. The analyses reveal that deportation numbers don't tell the complete story, as the Biden administration simultaneously:

• Implemented policies to ease the path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants, though this was later struck down by a federal judge ^[6]
• Extended legal protections for nearly 1 million immigrants ^[5]
• Focused heavily on criminal illegal aliens through targeted arrests and courthouse operations ^[7]

Immigration advocacy groups would benefit from emphasizing the humanitarian programs and legal protections, while immigration enforcement organizations and political opponents would benefit from highlighting the high deportation numbers to argue for stricter policies.

The question also misses the comparative context - Trump's early 2025 performance actually showed lower daily removals (661 per day) compared to Biden's 742 daily average in FY 2024 ^[2], despite increased arrest activity.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question uses the loaded term "illegal immigrants" rather than more neutral terminology like "undocumented immigrants" or "migrants," which may reflect a particular political perspective.

More significantly, the question implies that Biden's administration was lenient on deportations, when the data shows Biden actually surpassed Trump's 2019 deportation record ^[1]. This framing could mislead audiences into believing Biden deported fewer people than his predecessor, when the opposite was true.

The question also oversimplifies immigration enforcement by focusing solely on "returns" without acknowledging the multifaceted approach that included both enforcement and humanitarian programs ^{[4] [5]}, potentially creating a false narrative about the administration's overall immigration strategy.