Is trump’s ice actually deporting more than Biden
Executive summary
Short answer: it depends on which number is counted—by several mainstream analysts and government tables, the Biden administration recorded higher total deportations in its last full year and across some multi‑year spans, but the Trump administration’s first year produced far more interior arrests and removals from inside the United States and a huge spike in detention capacity that changed the enforcement mix [1] [2] [3]. Much of the confusion stems from inconsistent counting—“removals,” “returns,” “expulsions,” and other categories are frequently lumped together or separated for political effect [4].
1. Numbers tell different stories depending on the definition
Analysts warn that comparing “deportations” between administrations without unpacking the categories is misleading: DHS and advocates sometimes aggregate removals, enforcement returns and expulsions into a single headline figure, while other tallies restrict themselves to ICE removals only; that choice transforms who appears to have “deported more” [4]. Migration Policy concluded that Biden’s removals through early 2024 (about 1.1 million since FY2021 through Feb. 2024) were on pace to match Trump’s four‑year total of roughly 1.5 million depending on which categories are counted [5]. Independent analysts like Austin Kocher have highlighted that DHS’s public framing can produce apples‑to‑oranges comparisons when the underlying categories shift [4].
2. Interior removals rose sharply under Trump II, and that matters politically
A New York Times analysis found that in the first year of Trump’s second term roughly 230,000 people were deported after interior arrests—already more interior arrests and deportations than occurred under Biden’s entire four‑year term—while another ~270,000 were removed at the border, creating an aggregate that looks large but masks different enforcement patterns [2]. TRAC’s count of ICE removals after Trump took office found about 234,211 removals in part of FY2025, and when combined with FY2026 figures produced totals on the order of 290,603 removals—only modestly higher (about 7%) than the last full Biden year’s removals despite major increases in enforcement resources [6].
3. Biden’s last full fiscal year remains a high‑water mark for total deportations
Multiple outlets and datasets report that FY2024 under Biden registered very large totals—about 685,000 total deportations in FY2024 by some counts—which many observers say exceed Trump administration projections and the Trump first‑year totals when border expulsions and returns are considered together [1]. BBC and Migration Policy reporting also emphasize that diplomatic and policy changes during Biden’s term increased the capacity to repatriate people and that sheer border encounter volumes inflated removal totals in earlier Biden years [7] [5].
4. Enforcement posture, detention, and target selection shifted under Trump
Beyond raw counts, the Trump administration markedly expanded detention capacity and interior enforcement—daily ICE detainee averages rose from about 39,000 to nearly 70,000 in early January 2026—while publicly prioritizing a broader swath of migrants, including more interior noncitizens, and touting mass operations even as total removals fell short of some stated goals [3]. The Center for Immigration Studies and other pro‑enforcement outlets emphasize a higher share of deported individuals with criminal histories under Trump II, while critics note that restricted definitions and selective publicization shape perceptions of performance [8] [9].
5. Verdict and caveats
Conclusion: there is no single, unequivocal metric that shows Trump’s ICE “deported more” in all respects than Biden—Biden recorded higher total deportations in his final full fiscal year and across some multi‑year windows, while Trump II carried out a greater number of interior arrests and removals within a single year and dramatically increased detention and enforcement capacity; the answer therefore depends on definitions and timeframe [1] [2] [3] [6]. Credible analysts and watchdogs warn against headline comparisons without disaggregating removals, returns, expulsions and expulsions under public health orders, and note political incentives on both sides to frame the statistics to support policy narratives [4] [5].