Fact check: Deportation of illegal immigrants by President of the United States in the last 20 years

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal significant variations in deportation numbers across different presidential administrations over the past 20 years. President Obama holds the record for the most deportations among recent presidents ^[1]. Contrary to common perceptions, President Biden has actually conducted more deportations per day than President Trump, averaging 750 deportations daily compared to Trump's 600 per day ^[2]. The Biden administration has deported 1.1 million individuals since fiscal year 2021 and is on track to match Trump administration numbers ^[3].

Recent data shows a 69% increase in ICE removals, with nearly 68,000 individuals removed in the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 ^[4]. Under the current Trump administration, ICE arrests have doubled and border crossings have plummeted, though specific deportation numbers are not regularly released to the public ^[5].

The Trump administration has taken aggressive legal action to enforce deportations, including filing lawsuits against 15 federal judges in Maryland who blocked immediate deportation of migrants ^{[6] [7] [8]}. The administration has also expanded access to numerous federal, state, and local databases to aid immigration enforcement ^[9].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original query lacks several crucial contextual elements:

• Definitional complexity: Deportation statistics are complicated by different categories including removals, returns, and expulsions, which can significantly affect comparative numbers ^[1]
• Privacy and civil liberties concerns: The Trump administration's expansion of database access for immigration enforcement raises concerns about privacy violations and potential misuse of sensitive personal data for both immigrants and U.S. citizens ^[9]
• Judicial resistance: Federal courts have actively blocked deportation efforts, with the administration characterizing judicial orders as 'lawless' and 'anti-democratic' ^{[7] [8]}
• Focus on recent arrivals: The Biden administration has specifically targeted recent border arrivals for removal rather than long-term residents ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement presents a neutral request for information but may inadvertently perpetuate common misconceptions:

• Implicit assumption bias: The phrasing suggests Trump conducted the most deportations, when data shows Obama actually holds the deportation record and Biden has higher daily averages than Trump ^{[2] [1]}
• Oversimplification: The request doesn't acknowledge the complexity of deportation definitions and measurement methods that make direct comparisons challenging ^[1]
• Lack of transparency acknowledgment: The statement doesn't recognize that deportation numbers are not regularly released to the public, making comprehensive analysis difficult ^[5]

Political figures and immigration advocacy organizations on both sides benefit from selective presentation of these statistics - pro-enforcement politicians benefit from emphasizing high deportation numbers during their tenure, while immigrant rights advocates benefit from highlighting the human costs and legal challenges to these policies.