How many deportations occurred during Trump's presidency versus previous administrations
Executive summary
Available reporting shows Trump’s first term (2017–2021) oversaw roughly 1.5 million removals across four years (Migration Policy Institute summary cited by MPI/Migration Policy) while Biden-era removals from FY2021 through Feb 2024 totaled about 1.1 million, on pace to match Trump’s four‑year total [1]. Early figures and rolling reporting from 2025 show high variability: DHS and ICE claims range from roughly 135,000–340,000 deportations in early 2025 depending on agency statements and independent estimates, and DHS/administration tallies of “removed or self‑deported” are much larger but use different methods [2] [3] [1].
1. What the headline numbers mean — removals vs. returns vs. “self‑deportation”
Different tallies are measuring different things: official removals (formal deportations) are recorded by ICE and CBP; “returns” or expedited removals are often higher when border apprehensions spike; and the Trump administration in 2025 began counting voluntary departures or self‑deportations in its broader “removed or self‑deported” totals, which produces much larger figures than ICE removals alone [1] [4]. Migration Policy’s FY‑by‑FY parsing and ICE’s dashboards focus on removals; DHS press statements sometimes combine voluntary departures with removals, making cross‑administration comparisons tricky [3] [5].
2. How Trump’s first term compares with Biden through early 2024
Migration Policy analysis reported about 1.5 million deportations during Trump’s four years in office and that the Biden administration had recorded roughly 1.1 million removals from FY2021 through February 2024 — a pace that could match Trump’s total when projected [1]. Independent historical data reinforce that annual removals vary sharply with border flows and policy tools used by each administration [6] [1].
3. Early numbers from Trump’s second term: official claims, independent estimates, and disputes
In 2025 the Trump administration publicized rapid enforcement activity and claiming large removal totals: DHS/agency statements and officials cited figures ranging from 135,000 removals in the first 100 days to half‑million+ removals by autumn, and later DHS claims of more than 500,000 deportations or 2 million “removed or self‑deported” appear in administration releases [2] [7] [5] [4]. Independent trackers and analysts — including Migration Policy Institute and news outlets — estimate different FY2025 outcomes (MPI estimated roughly 340,000 ICE deportations for FY2025 in a later read) and note DHS changed how it reports data, undermining apples‑to‑apples comparisons [3] [4].
4. Why different organizations reach different totals
Disagreements arise because DHS/ICE, think tanks (MPI), journalists and advocacy groups use different datasets and definitions: ICE’s removals tables, CBP returns/encounters, voluntary departures, and agency press counts are not always harmonized; some media analyses use FOIA‑released ICE snapshots; others aggregate DHS press claims that include voluntary departures or self‑deports [8] [9] [10] [4]. Migration Policy cautioned that DHS inconsistently released enforcement data after 2024, complicating external verification [3].
5. Context: volume is driven by border flows, expedited authorities, and policy choices
High removal totals in any administration reflect a mix of operational capacity, border encounter volumes (which make expedited return/removal easier), and legal tools like fast‑track removals or interior arrest priorities. For example, FY2024 removals rose when Title 42 expulsions ended and CBP processed large numbers; conversely, court injunctions and litigation slowed some 2025 measures even as the Trump administration sought to expand interior arrests [1] [11] [2].
6. What to watch to get a clearer picture
Reliable comparisons require standardized, disaggregated data: ICE’s removals dashboards and DHS monthly tables are the best baseline if fully published [8] [9]. Watch for finalized FY2025 ICE and CBP annual reports, MPI or other independent tallies that separate formal removals, returns/expulsions, and voluntary departures, and for transparency about methodology when DHS broadcasts aggregated “removed or self‑deported” claims [3] [4].
Limitations and competing views: available sources document both DHS/administration claims of very large removal totals and independent analyst pushback that those numbers mix categories or are inconsistent with ICE daily removal data; Migration Policy, Reuters and other outlets emphasize that raw numbers depend on definitions and the fiscal‑year frame used [2] [12] [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention a single universally accepted final FY2025 “deportation” total that reconciles every category.