Fact check: How did ICE's priorities for deportation change during the Obama presidency?

1. Summary of the results

ICE's deportation priorities underwent significant evolution during the Obama presidency, shifting from broader enforcement to a more targeted approach focused on specific categories of individuals.

Key Changes in Priorities:

• Focus on criminals and recent border crossers: The Obama administration prioritized the removal of noncitizens with criminal records and recent unauthorized border crossers rather than ordinary status violators found in the U.S. interior ^[1]. By fiscal year 2015, 91 percent of people removed from inside the U.S. were previously convicted of a crime ^{[2] [3]}.
• Three-tier priority system: The administration established priorities focusing on threats to national security, public safety, and recent illegal entrants ^[4]. This represented a strategic shift away from indiscriminate enforcement.
• Emphasis on border enforcement: By FY 2016, 85% of removals were noncitizens who had recently crossed the border unlawfully ^[1], demonstrating the administration's focus on deterring new unauthorized entries.

Deportation Numbers:

• The Obama administration removed more than 2.5 million people through immigration orders between 2009 and 2015 ^[3]
• Peak deportation occurred in fiscal year 2012 with 410,000 removals ^[5]
• In fiscal year 2014, ICE recorded 316,000 deportations ^[5]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The question omits several crucial aspects of Obama's immigration enforcement evolution:

Protective Measures Alongside Enforcement:

• The administration expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and introduced Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), intended to provide relief to millions of undocumented immigrants ^[6].

"Deporter in Chief" Controversy:

• Obama was frequently labeled the "Deporter in Chief" due to his administration deporting over 2.8 million undocumented immigrants during his presidency ^[7]. This created tension between immigration advocates who expected more lenient policies and the administration's enforcement record.

Strategic Enforcement Philosophy:

• The administration's approach involved increasing penalties against unauthorized border crossers while simultaneously targeting criminals ^[1], representing a dual strategy of deterrence and public safety.

Comparison with Other Administrations:

• The Trump administration later considered all undocumented migrants as priorities for removal, contrasting sharply with Obama's targeted approach ^[4]. The Biden administration has returned to a framework similar to the Obama administration's priorities ^[4].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it simply asks about policy changes during the Obama presidency. However, discussions of Obama's deportation policies often suffer from several biases:

Incomplete Framing:

• Focusing solely on deportation priorities without mentioning the simultaneous expansion of protective programs like DACA ^[6] presents an incomplete picture of the administration's immigration approach.

Numerical Context:

• The "Deporter in Chief" label ^{[7] [2]} can be misleading without proper context about enforcement strategies and the distinction between border removals and interior enforcement priorities.

Political Positioning:

• Immigration advocacy groups and political opponents both have incentives to emphasize different aspects of Obama's record - advocates to highlight the high deportation numbers, while supporters emphasize the targeted, criminal-focused approach and protective measures for certain populations.

The sources demonstrate that Obama's deportation priorities represented a strategic shift toward targeted enforcement rather than simply increased or decreased deportation activity, making simplistic characterizations potentially misleading.