What were annual deportation numbers under the Trump administration for comparison (2017-2020)?
Executive summary
Annual removals (deportations and expulsions combined) under the Trump administration varied by source and by definition: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data show CBP+ICE removals at 337,287 in fiscal 2018, and multiple analysts and outlets report roughly 1.2–1.5 million removals across FY2017–FY2020 depending on whether Title 42 expulsions, “returns,” and expedited removals are counted [1] [2] [3]. Sources stress the importance of definitions — “removals,” “returns,” expedited removals and Title 42 expulsions are often bundled differently, producing wide disagreements in totals [1] [4].
1. Why headline numbers diverge: categories and counting matter
Different organizations count different things. DHS distinguishes removals carried out by CBP (border) and ICE (interior); CBP+ICE removals were 337,287 in FY2018, a figure DHS reported and Pew summarized [1]. Independent analysts add Title 42 expulsions, expedited removals and “returns” (administrative removals at the border) to arrive at much larger totals — for example, including Title 42 and expedited removals boosts 2020 totals into the hundreds of thousands and helps produce multi‑year aggregates of roughly 1.2–1.5 million removals for 2017–2020, depending on the dataset [4] [2] [3].
2. Year‑by‑year signals from respected trackers
Pew Research and DHS figures are the clearest “apples‑to‑apples” public reference: Pew cites DHS that CBP+ICE carried out 337,287 removals in FY2018 and notes ICE interior administrative arrests rose in FY2017 after new enforcement priorities [1]. Econofact highlights that interior (ICE) removals under Trump increased from the Obama years but “never exceeded 100,000” annually for interior removals in its charted period — underscoring the difference between interior ICE removals and total border removals/expulsions [5].
3. Broader tallies used by journalists and advocacy groups
Several outlets and analyses present larger four‑year aggregates: The Independent reports “approximately 1.2 million” removals via removal orders in 2017–2020 and an additional ~805,770 who were turned away or self‑deported at the border in that period, producing much larger totals [2]. Migration Policy Institute and others place total removals over Trump’s four years at roughly 1.5 million when combining removals and returns, a figure used to compare with later administrations [3].
4. 2020 and the pandemic: Title 42 and expedited removals reshape counting
The COVID era changed enforcement statistics. Analyses that include Title 42 expulsions and expanded expedited removals show spikes in 2020 that are not captured in traditional DHS “removal” counts. The Real Instituto Elcano analysis notes that if Title 42 and expedited removals are included, Trump-era expulsions/removals in 2020 reach about 393,000 — a number much higher than DHS interior removal counts because it folds in border expulsions [4].
5. Reporting gaps, transparency and why precision is elusive
Multiple sources warn that DHS reporting practices and differing categories obscure simple comparisons. Reuters and TRAC note DHS stopped publishing some detailed enforcement reports after January 2025 and that publicized high‑visibility raids and selective press releases sometimes substituted for routine statistics, complicating independent verification [6] [7]. TRAC and watchdog reporting emphasize that the administration’s own media claims about removals were sometimes promoted without releasing full underlying data [7].
6. What a fair short answer looks like
Available public reporting and DHS data establish that annual DHS “removals” (CBP+ICE) were in the low‑to mid‑hundreds of thousands in peak years (e.g., 337,287 in FY2018) while interior ICE deportations were substantially lower and often under 100,000 per year as tracked separately [1] [5]. Aggregated four‑year totals reported by journalists and policy groups range from about 1.2 million to 1.5 million for FY2017–FY2020 when returns, expulsions and different removal categories are pooled [2] [3].
7. How to use these numbers responsibly
When comparing administrations, insist on consistent definitions: ask whether figures include Title 42 expulsions, expedited removals, CBP “returns” at the border, or only ICE interior removals. Sources differ precisely because they choose different baskets of actions to count — DHS/Pew for formal CBP+ICE removals, policy analysts and journalists for broader aggregates that change totals substantially [1] [4] [3]. Available sources do not provide a single, universally agreed year‑by‑year table for 2017–2020 consistent across all definitions; pick the definition that matches your comparison and cite it explicitly [1] [4] [3].