Fact check: How many illegal immigrants did Joe Biden deport

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available data, the Biden administration has carried out approximately 1.1 million deportations from the beginning of fiscal year 2021 through February 2024 ^[1]. When including broader immigration enforcement actions, the administration conducted around 4.4 million repatriations, which encompass deportations, expulsions, and other actions to block unauthorized migrants ^[1].

The deportation numbers show significant activity in recent periods:

• 271,000 immigrants were deported in the last fiscal year, surpassing Donald Trump's 2019 record ^[2]
• In the 12 months after Title 42 ended, the Biden administration removed or returned 775,000 unauthorized migrants, more than in any previous fiscal year since 2010 ^[1]
• From May 2023 through March 2024, 316,000 migrants were processed via expedited removal, exceeding any prior full fiscal year ^[1]

Additionally, the Biden administration carried out 3 million expulsions of migrants crossing the border irregularly under the pandemic-era Title 42 order, with the vast majority occurring during Biden's tenure ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial contextual elements:

• Comparison with previous administrations: The Biden administration's 1.1 million deportations is on pace to match the 1.5 million deportations during the Trump administration ^[1]. Recent data shows that in February 2025, Trump deported around 11,000 migrants, which was actually lower than the 12,000 deported in February 2024 under Biden ^[3].
• Types of deportations: Roughly half of those deported did not have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges ^[3], indicating that enforcement targeted both criminal and non-criminal unauthorized immigrants.
• Policy changes and legal challenges: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status of over 500,000 immigrants that had been granted by the Biden administration, making them subject to deportation ^[4]. A federal judge also struck down a Biden policy aimed at easing the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens ^[5].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question uses the politically charged term "illegal immigrants" rather than more neutral terminology like "unauthorized migrants" or "undocumented immigrants" used in official sources. This language choice may reflect a particular political perspective that frames immigration enforcement in more punitive terms.

The question also implies a simple numerical answer without acknowledging the complexity of immigration enforcement, which includes various categories of removals, expulsions, and returns that serve different policy purposes. The framing suggests the questioner may be seeking to either criticize or defend Biden's immigration record without considering the broader policy context or comparative historical data.