Fact check: How do Biden's deportation numbers compare to Trump's first term?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available data, Biden's deportation numbers during his presidency significantly exceeded Trump's first-term performance and continue to outpace Trump's current second-term efforts. The Biden administration carried out 1.1 million deportations from fiscal year 2021 through February 2024 and was on track to match the 1.5 million total deportations from Trump's entire first four-year term ^[1].

The daily deportation rates reveal an even starker contrast. Biden averaged 742 removals per day, while Trump's recent performance shows only 661 removals per day from January 26 to March 8, 2025 - representing a 10.9 percentage point decrease from Biden's daily average ^[2]. During Trump's first month back in office, he deported 37,660 people, which falls significantly short of the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns achieved during Biden's final year ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial contextual elements that affect the complete picture:

• Policy changes and their timing: The Trump administration rescinded Biden's guidelines for ICE and CBP enforcement actions and ended the broad abuse of humanitarian parole ^[4], which could impact future deportation numbers but hasn't yet translated into higher removal rates.
• Border encounter reductions: While deportation rates remain lower, border encounters dropped to 8,725 in May 2025, representing a 93 percent decrease from May 2024 under Biden ^[5]. This suggests Trump's policies may be affecting immigration patterns differently than pure deportation numbers indicate.
• Economic implications: Large-scale deportation policies would significantly reduce net revenue to the Social Security program ^[6], presenting a financial trade-off that benefits those prioritizing immediate immigration enforcement over long-term fiscal stability.
• Legal and procedural changes: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume quick deportations of certain immigrants ^[7], and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services initiated removal proceedings against more than 26,700 aliens ^[8], indicating systemic changes that may affect future numbers.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself appears neutral and factual, seeking a direct numerical comparison. However, the framing could potentially mislead by:

• Omitting the broader immigration enforcement picture: Focusing solely on deportation numbers ignores other enforcement mechanisms and policy changes that affect immigration patterns
• Temporal limitations: The question doesn't account for the fact that Trump's second term is still in its early stages, making direct comparisons potentially premature
• Missing policy context: The question doesn't acknowledge that Trump's immigration policies have been characterized as "delivering results" by supporters ^[5], even if deportation numbers don't reflect this claim

Political stakeholders benefit differently from emphasizing various aspects: Immigration hardliners benefit from highlighting policy changes and border encounter reductions, while critics benefit from emphasizing the concrete deportation numbers that show Biden's higher enforcement levels.