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Fact check: How many immigrants did joe biden deport

Checked on June 17, 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the Biden administration has carried out substantial deportation numbers throughout his presidency. The most recent data shows that 271,484 immigrants were deported in the last fiscal year, representing the highest level of deportations since 2014 [1] [2]. This figure notably surpasses Donald Trump's 2019 record [1].

Looking at the broader scope of Biden's presidency, approximately 1.1 million deportations occurred from the beginning of fiscal year 2021 through February 2024 [3]. However, when including all repatriations (deportations, expulsions, and other actions to block migrants), the total reaches nearly 4.4 million [3]. Another source indicates that approximately 1.5 million people were deported from FY 2021 to FY 2024, with most originating from the border [4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial contextual elements that significantly impact the interpretation of deportation numbers:

  • The Biden administration is on track to carry out as many removals and returns as the Trump administration did [3], suggesting comparable enforcement levels despite different political rhetoric.
  • More than 7.2 million illegal migrants attempted to cross the US-Mexico border between January 2021 and January 2024 [5], providing important context about the scale of border encounters relative to deportations.
  • The Biden administration deported a smaller share of migrants who crossed the border compared to the Trump administration [5], indicating that while absolute numbers may be high, the deportation rate relative to encounters was lower.
  • The administration has employed controversial third-country deportation strategies, as evidenced by cases where individuals were sent to countries they're not from, such as a man deported to South Sudan instead of Vietnam [6]. This practice raises concerns about due process and deportee safety [6].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is neutral and factual, simply asking for deportation numbers. However, the framing could lead to incomplete understanding without proper context:

  • The question doesn't distinguish between different types of removals (deportations vs. expulsions vs. other repatriations), which creates potential for misinterpretation of the data.
  • Without comparative context to previous administrations or relative to border encounter numbers, the raw deportation figures could be misleading about the administration's actual enforcement priorities and effectiveness.
  • The question doesn't account for the unprecedented scale of border encounters during Biden's presidency [5], which significantly impacts how deportation numbers should be interpreted in terms of enforcement rates and policy effectiveness.
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