Fact check: What were the deportation numbers under George W Bush from 2004 to 2009?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, deportation numbers under George W. Bush from 2004 to 2009 show a significant upward trend. ICE removal data indicates 195,066 deportations in 2005, 229,797 in 2006, 291,060 in 2007, 369,221 in 2008, and 389,834 in 2009 ^[1]. Additionally, Bush's administration removed 819,964 illegal immigrants from the interior of the United States during the last 6 years of his administration, averaging 136,661 per year ^[2].

The data reveals a dramatic escalation in deportation activity, with numbers nearly doubling from 2005 to 2009. This represents one of the most aggressive interior enforcement periods in modern U.S. immigration history.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several critical pieces of context are absent from the original question:

• The effectiveness of these deportation efforts is disputed - one source indicates that Bush-era immigration raids were characterized as a "law enforcement failure" ^[3], suggesting that high numbers didn't necessarily translate to successful policy outcomes.
• The distinction between different types of removals is not clarified in the original question. The data includes both interior removals and border removals, which represent different enforcement strategies and priorities.
• The human and economic costs of these deportation numbers are not addressed, nor are the impacts on immigrant communities and families.
• Political motivations behind these enforcement levels are not explored - immigration hawks would benefit from highlighting these numbers to demonstrate "tough" enforcement, while immigrant advocacy groups would emphasize the humanitarian concerns.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears factually neutral as it simply requests historical data. However, potential bias could emerge in how these numbers are subsequently interpreted or contextualized:

• Presenting raw numbers without context about enforcement effectiveness could be misleading, given that sources suggest these operations were not necessarily successful from a law enforcement perspective ^[3].
• The framing of deportations as purely numerical data ignores the broader policy implications and human impact of these enforcement actions.
• Missing the 2004 data creates an incomplete picture of the requested timeframe, though this appears to be due to data availability rather than intentional omission.