During what years were the highest number of illegal immigrants deported?

1. The question being asked: what “highest number” means matters

“Deportations” is a composite term in official statistics that can refer to removals (formal orders), returns (voluntary departures) and expulsions or other operational outcomes, and the mix of those categories has changed over time; that definitional shift matters because mid-2000s reporting began to fold in more border apprehensions and returns, which inflates totals relative to earlier interior-only removals ^{[5] [2]}.

2. Historical high point under Obama for removals from the interior

Multiple analyses and historical tables show that the early Obama years produced the highest sustained annual counts of removals from the U.S. interior in recent memory, with some years approaching about 400,000 removals per year and interior removals averaging over 200,000 annually during his first term — a record that analysts have repeatedly noted ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Data through 2019 and the limits of long-series comparisons

The Department of Homeland Security’s Yearbook provides a long historical series for “aliens removed or returned” through 2019, but researchers warn that changes in what is counted — especially the post‑mid‑2000s inclusion of some border apprehensions — complicate apples‑to‑apples comparisons across decades and administrations ^{[5] [2]}.

4. The post‑Title 42 surge and FY2023–FY2024 spike

After the COVID-era Title 42 public‑health expulsions ended, DHS and analysts recorded a sharp rise in removals, returns and expedited removals: Migration Policy reports that in the 12 months following Title 42’s end the U.S. removed or returned 775,000 unauthorized migrants, and between May 2023 and March 2024 roughly 316,000 were processed via expedited removal — figures described as the largest such totals since at least 2010 ^[3].

5. Media snapshots and conflicting tallies for 2024–2025

Press reporting and DHS statements characterize FY2024 and parts of 2024–2025 as unusually high for deportation-related activity: the BBC described 2024 as the largest number deported in nearly a decade and DHS press releases under the 2025 administration claimed record-breaking millions leaving the country, though those agency tallies mix formal removals with voluntary “self‑deportation” programs and expulsions and therefore reflect policy and messaging objectives ^{[4] [6] [7]}.

6. How to reconcile the apparent contradiction: context and caveats

Reconciling the apparent contradiction — Obama-era “removal” peaks versus 2023–24 total spikes — requires attention to categories: Obama-era peaks refer largely to formal removals and interior enforcement records, while the 2023–24 surge largely reflects border encounters processed under expedited removal/returns and post‑Title 42 operational shifts; because reporting categories and agency practices changed, both claims can be true in their contexts but describe different phenomena ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

7. Conclusion — direct answer

Answering succinctly: historically, the highest annual counts of formal removals from the interior occurred in the early Obama years (roughly 2009–2012), with annual totals often cited near 300,000–400,000 ^{[1] [2]}; however, the single largest recent surge in combined removals, returns and expedited expulsions occurred after Title 42 ended in 2023–2024, when roughly 775,000 unauthorized migrants were removed or returned in a 12‑month span according to Migration Policy ^{[3] [4]}. This dual fact reflects changing enforcement focus and evolving counting methods rather than a simple one‑line record.