Fact check: What role did ICE play in deportation increases or decreases under different presidents?

1. Summary of the results

ICE's role in deportations has varied significantly across different presidential administrations, with several key patterns emerging:

• Democratic presidents have historically deported more people (3.9 million from 1990-2018) compared to Republican presidents (2.7 million) ^[1]
• Under the Biden administration, ICE conducted 59,000 removals in the first fiscal year - the lowest in six years, but this number increased to over 142,000 in 2023 ^[2]
• During Trump's administration, ICE removed approximately 265,000 individuals in fiscal year 2018, representing over 30% of migrants encountered at the border ^[2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors need to be considered:

• ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) prioritizes actions based on national security, public safety, and border security concerns, rather than just raw numbers ^[3]
• There's a crucial distinction between arrests and actual deportations - high arrest numbers don't necessarily translate to high deportation numbers ^[4]
• ICE faces significant operational constraints:
• The agency has fewer than 6,000 enforcement officers nationwide ^[5]
• Recent monthly arrest numbers fluctuate between 10,000 and 18,000 ^[5]

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted deportation numbers, with changes occurring after the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself might lead to oversimplified conclusions without considering:

• Political rhetoric often doesn't match operational reality. For example, despite Trump's campaign promises of "millions of removals" and potentially targeting 15 million people for removal, actual deportation numbers remained relatively stable ^{[5] [6]}
• Different administrations benefit from different narratives:
• Democratic administrations might emphasize prioritized enforcement and humanitarian considerations
• Republican administrations might focus on total numbers and strict enforcement policies

The complexity of immigration enforcement means that raw deportation numbers alone don't tell the full story of an administration's immigration policy effectiveness ^[4]