How many illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump has become president
Executive summary
The short answer is: official Trump-administration sources by late 2025 claim that more than 600,000 people have been formally deported since January 20, 2025, while independent and earlier government tallies reported much smaller figures earlier in the year — reflecting rapidly changing counts, differing definitions (removals vs. voluntary returns), and competing narratives [1] [2] [3]. The true, independently verifiable total depends on which data series and cutoffs are used and whether voluntary self-deportations and border “returns” are counted alongside ICE removals [4] [5].
1. The administration’s evolving headline numbers: from 139,000 to more than 600,000
In the first months of the second Trump presidency, the White House and DHS issued multiple milestone claims: a White House summary and earlier DHS releases said roughly 139,000 deportations within the first months of the term (cited by the White House in April and November 2025) and praised arrests of more than 150,000 people [3] [6]. By October 2025 DHS was announcing more than 527,000 removals and more than 2 million total departures including voluntary self‑deportations [2] [5], and by December 2025 DHS claimed more than 605,000 deportations and 1.9 million self‑deportations for a combined figure of “more than 2.5 million” people leaving the U.S. [1].
2. Why these counts jump: different metrics, “removals” vs. “self‑deportations” and timing
Public numbers shift because agencies and political offices sometimes combine distinct categories: formal ICE removals (deportations ordered and executed), border returns or expulsions, and voluntary self‑deportations prompted by incentives or pressure; DHS press materials often present combined totals to describe “people leaving the U.S.” while other outlets focus on ICE removal records alone [4] [5]. Independent outlets and researchers have long cautioned that mixing these categories inflates comparability with past administrations unless the components are broken out [4] [7].
3. Independent reporting and watchdog context: smaller, more cautious totals
News agencies and analysts tracking DHS data reported lower figures at interim points: Reuters, for example, reported the administration had deported “around 200,000 people” over a four‑month span in 2025 — a pace that Reuters noted lagged some comparable periods under the previous administration — while other independent analysts and nonprofit trackers emphasized that interior removals historically run much lower than headline totals that include returns at the border [8] [4]. Migration Policy Institute and Pew analyses underline that understanding deportation “records” requires separating interior ICE removals from returns and voluntary departures [7] [9].
4. Legal and political context that affects the figures and their interpretation
Counts are not merely technical: policy choices — who is prioritized for arrest and removal, whether incentives are offered for “self‑deportation,” and diplomatic deals to accept deportees — change the mix of removals vs. returns and spark legal challenges and public debate [5] [10]. Wikipedia’s summary of controversies around expanded enforcement notes legal and logistical difficulties and reports of disputed detentions and removals, underscoring that critics question both the legality and accuracy of some enforcement practices [11].
5. Bottom line for readers assessing “how many deported”
If the question seeks a single definitive number from government sources as of late 2025, DHS publicly asserted “more than 605,000” deportations since January 20, 2025, and characterized a total exodus (removals plus self‑deportations) of more than 2.5 million people [1]. If the question aims for independently corroborated ICE removals or compares to past administrations using consistent categories, available reporting shows lower counts and stresses the need to separate formal removals from voluntary and border returns [8] [4]. Reporting limitations include divergent definitions across sources and rapidly updated administrative claims; no single independent dataset in the supplied reporting yields a universally accepted cumulative total beyond the cited DHS assertions [1] [2] [3].