Fact check: How did Obama's deportation policy compare to Trump's?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided suggest that Obama's administration had a higher number of deportations than Trump's, with over 3.1 million ICE deportations throughout Obama's eight years in office, and a peak of over 407,000 people removed in fiscal year 2012 ^[1]. In contrast, Trump's first term had fewer than 932,000 deportations, with a maximum of 269,000 people deported in 2019 ^[1]. This is supported by other sources, which state that Obama holds the 21st-century deportation record with 438,421 people deported in 2013 ^[2], and that Trump's deportation numbers are still lagging behind Obama's, with the Trump administration averaging 14,700 deportations per month, compared to Obama's monthly average of 36,000 in 2013 ^[3]. However, it's also noted that ICE is on track to record the most deportations since the Obama administration, with nearly 150,000 deportations in the first six months of Trump's second presidency ^[4]. The Obama administration prioritized deportation of individuals who posed a threat to national security, public safety, and recent entrants, while the Trump administration considered all undocumented immigrants as priorities for removal, with no distinction between serious and minor offenses ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key point missing from the original statement is the context of the deportation policies, including the priorities and focus of each administration. For example, the Obama administration focused on removing serious criminals, with 94% of deportees in 2016 being convicted felons, compared to Trump's approach, which has led to a higher percentage of non-criminals being detained and deported ^[6]. Additionally, the sources suggest that the Trump administration's policy led to more arrests and deportations of less serious offenders and fewer arrests and deportations of more serious offenders ^[5]. Another alternative viewpoint is that Obama's approach to immigration enforcement was more focused on removing serious criminals, whereas Trump's approach has been more focused on deporting all undocumented immigrants, regardless of their criminal history ^[6]. It's also worth noting that the number of deportations is not the only metric to evaluate the effectiveness of an administration's immigration policy, and that other factors, such as the treatment of asylum seekers and the use of detention centers, should also be considered ^[7].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading in its implication that the number of deportations is the only metric to evaluate the effectiveness of an administration's immigration policy. The sources suggest that the Obama administration's approach to immigration enforcement was more focused on removing serious criminals, whereas Trump's approach has been more focused on deporting all undocumented immigrants, regardless of their criminal history ^[6]. This could be seen as a bias towards Trump's approach, which prioritizes the deportation of all undocumented immigrants over the removal of serious criminals. Additionally, the sources note that Trump's deportation numbers are lower than those of his predecessors, with 1.9 million deportations in his first term, compared to 5.3 million under Obama and 12.3 million under Clinton ^[6]. This could be seen as a bias towards Obama's approach, which prioritized the removal of serious criminals over the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. The sources also suggest that the Trump administration's policy has led to a higher percentage of non-criminals being detained and deported, which could be seen as a negative consequence of Trump's approach ^[6]. Overall, the original statement may be lacking in context and nuance, and may be influenced by biases towards one administration's approach over the other ^[7].