How have removals and deportations under Biden compared year‑by‑year to prior administrations?
Executive summary
Deportations and removals during the Biden presidency rose sharply in 2023–2024 to levels not seen in nearly a decade, with fiscal‑year 2024 recording a near‑record wave of removals that in many measures exceeded totals under the first Trump term and approached or surpassed recent peaks [1] [2] [3]. Analysts and government reports show the increase was driven by post‑Title 42 expulsions switching back to Title 8 procedures, expedited removals at the southwest border, and diplomatic repatriation agreements that allowed more flights—facts that change how year‑to‑year comparisons should be read [3] [1] [2].
1. Biden’s year‑by‑year arc: from low levels to a 10‑year high
Biden-era removals began relatively low in the early years of his term—partly because of COVID-era policies, Title 42 expulsions, and a prosecutorial focus on criminal noncitizens—but then surged: ICE reported removal totals in 2024 that were the highest since at least 2014 and surpassed removals during the first Trump administration, with ICE counting roughly 271,484 removals in FY2024 per media reporting and other analyses citing even larger aggregate removed/returned totals when Title 8 returns are included [1] [2] [3].
2. The 2023–24 spike: policy shifts, Title 42 ending, and repatriation deals
The sharp uptick in removals followed the end of Title 42 public‑health expulsions and an administrative ramp‑up under Title 8: Migration Policy Institute reported 775,000 removals or returns in the 12 months after Title 42 ended (May 2023–March 2024), and expedited removal processing of 316,000 migrants in that window—higher than any prior full fiscal year since 2010—while reporting and journalism point to negotiated returns and increased flights as operational enablers [3] [1] [2].
3. How Biden compares to Trump (and Obama) in headline totals
Multiple outlets and think tanks concur that Biden’s final full fiscal year outpaced Trump’s first term on several measures: The Guardian and NPR reported that ICE’s 2024 removal total exceeded any year of Trump’s 2017–2021 administration and was the highest since 2014 [2] [1]. Migration Policy Institute’s longer‑range accounting shows the post‑Title‑42 period produced more returns/removals than any full fiscal year since 2010 [3]. Other compilations put earlier administrations like Obama and even some Trump years in different light depending on whether one counts expulsions, voluntary returns, or formal removals [4] [5].
4. Why raw yearly comparisons can mislead: definitions and counting matter
Comparisons across administrations hinge on which categories are counted: “removals” (formal deportations), “returns” or “voluntary departures,” and Title 42 expulsions have been treated differently across years and administrations, so a simple headline number can obscure reality—for example, DHS and proponents cited removals-and-returns since May 2023 to show rapid activity, while fact‑checkers emphasize that including or excluding Title 42 changes which year looks largest [6] [3] [7].
5. Interior versus border removals: a tactical shift under Biden
Analysts note a shift toward removing recent border crossers and directing enforcement at “easy‑to‑remove” nationalities, and in FY2024 deportations from inside the U.S. were reported to outnumber border deportations for the first time since 2014—an operational change made possible by lower border admissions and expanded interior enforcement in certain categories [3] [8].
6. Political narratives, transparency gaps, and competing agendas
Both opponents and defenders of Biden use the numbers to fuel narratives: Republicans allege softness that needs correction while some critics say Biden deserves credit for a de facto increase in removals; concurrently, reporting flags transparency gaps (DHS and ICE dashboards and differing counts) that allow administrations to emphasize or de‑emphasize particular categories to suit political messaging [9] [10] [11].
7. Bottom line: more removals in late Biden years, but context is essential
Factually, the late Biden years—especially the 12 months after Title 42 ended and FY2024—saw removals and returns at levels higher than most years in the past decade and above Trump’s first‑term annual totals on key metrics, but those comparisons require attention to expulsions vs. removals, voluntary returns, and the operational drivers (Title 42, expedited removal, diplomatic repatriations) that made the surge possible; the available reporting and data sources underscore substantial increases yet caution against taking single aggregate numbers as the whole story [3] [1] [2] [6].