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Fact check: Which countries have the highest deportation rates from the US under Biden?
1. Summary of the results
Based on the available analyses, the Biden administration has achieved record-high deportation numbers, with over 271,000 immigrants deported in fiscal year 2024 - the highest in nearly a decade [1] [2]. However, the sources provide limited specific information about which countries receive the highest numbers of deportees.
The most concrete data comes from one source indicating that Central America's Northern Triangle countries - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - received more than half of all deportations in May, with additional deportees sent to Colombia, Mexico, and some African nations [3]. Another source confirms that Mexico is the most common destination for returns and notes that the Biden administration has deported migrants to more than 170 countries [4].
The Biden administration has also reached agreements with Mexico to accept back migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela [4], suggesting these countries are also significant destinations for deportations.
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The analyses reveal several important contextual elements missing from the original question:
- Comparative context: Multiple sources emphasize that Biden's deportation numbers have surpassed Trump's 2019 record [1], with one source noting that Trump actually "deported fewer people last month than Biden a year ago" [5] [6].
- Operational scope: The Biden administration's deportation operations span more than 170 countries [4], indicating a much broader geographic reach than might be assumed from focusing only on "highest rates."
- Policy mechanisms: The sources indicate that most deportations involve people "first arrested by Customs and Border Protection" [6], suggesting the deportation process is closely tied to border enforcement rather than interior enforcement alone.
- Bilateral agreements: The administration has negotiated specific agreements with Mexico and other countries to facilitate returns [4], indicating diplomatic efforts that affect deportation patterns.
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question itself does not contain explicit misinformation, but it may inadvertently promote incomplete understanding by:
- Focusing on rankings without context: By asking only about "highest rates," the question might obscure the fact that Biden has achieved record-high overall deportation numbers [1] [2], which could be politically significant for both supporters and critics of the administration.
- Omitting comparative data: The question doesn't acknowledge that current deportation levels exceed previous Trump administration records [1], which various political actors might emphasize or downplay depending on their positions on immigration policy.
- Incomplete data availability: The analyses reveal that comprehensive country-by-country deportation data under Biden is not readily available in public sources, with only partial information about Central American countries and Mexico being clearly documented [3] [4].