How many illegal immigrants deported during the Obama administration
Executive summary
The Obama administration carried out deportation actions numbering in the low millions over its eight years in office; mainstream DHS-based analyses count roughly 2.4 million removals through FY2009–FY2014, while other tallies that aggregate different categories push the total toward about 2.75 million for the full eight-year span [1] [2] [3].
1. The raw tallies most reporters cite: “more than 2 million”
Department of Homeland Security data compiled by independent analysts show the Obama years produced more than two million formal removals: Pew’s analysis reported a record 438,421 removals in FY2013 and said “more than 2 million deportations since Obama took office” as of that 2013 release, and later DHS-based counts through FY2014 put the total for 2009–2014 at roughly 2.4 million removals [2] [1].
2. Official year-by-year peaks and DHS announcements
The administration itself highlighted record removal years: DHS and ICE announced more than 392,000 removals in FY2010, including a sizable share who were convicted criminals, and other DHS data show annual removals peaking in the 400,000s in subsequent years immigration-enforcement-statistics" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[4] [5] [2].
3. Why totals differ: “removals,” “returns,” borders vs. interior
Counting disputes largely hinge on definitions and data sources: some tallies count formal “removals” recorded by DHS (which include administrative and formal removals) while others add expedited returns, border apprehensions, or interior returns handled by different agencies; this methodological variance produces the spectrum of estimates—from “about 2 million” to roughly 2.75 million over eight years [1] [3] [6].
4. The higher-end counts and independent audits
Analyses that aggregate multiple DHS data fields and extend to the full eight fiscal years often reach higher cumulative totals. One recent fact-checking compilation reported 2,749,706 deportations across the eight years of Obama’s presidency, an average of roughly 942 removals per day over that span; that figure reflects an inclusive counting approach and differs from narrower DHS removals-only snapshots [3].
5. Context and controversy: “deporter‑in‑chief” and shifting priorities
Critics on the left labeled Obama the “deporter-in-chief” because of the high annual removal numbers, while the administration emphasized re-prioritization toward convicted criminals and recent entrants—policies that changed the mix of who was removed even as totals remained high [2] [7]. Proponents point to increased removals of criminal aliens as an enforcement focus, a claim DHS promoted in its 2010 announcement [4].
6. Historical perspective and proportional measures
Analysts who normalize removals to the estimated unauthorized population reach similar conclusions about intensity: one policy analysis calculated Obama’s average removal rate at about 3.33 percent of the unauthorized population per year, higher than several other recent presidents, though such percentages depend on population estimates and the specific removal definitions used [6].
7. Bottom line and reporting limits
The most defensible summary from the available reporting is that the Obama administration oversaw roughly 2.0–2.5 million formal removals through FY2014 using DHS removal statistics, and broader aggregations that combine multiple DHS categories reach about 2.75 million for the full eight years; exact totals depend on definitional choices and whether border returns, expedited removals, or agency-level tallies are included [2] [1] [3]. The sources reviewed agree that annual removals peaked in the early 2010s and that policy shifts changed who was prioritized for removal, but they diverge when analysts broaden or narrow what they count [4] [7] [6].