Imagine a nation where deportations skyrocketed 269% in just one year, yet the full story behind the 142,580 formal removals in 2023—from the human profiles to the staggering $1.85 billion price tag—reveals a far more complex picture of American immigration enforcement.
Key Takeaways
- In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed 142,580 formal removals of noncitizens, representing a 269% increase in interior removals compared to the previous year
- During FY 2022, ICE conducted 72,177 deportations nationwide, with 59% occurring at the border and 41% from the interior
- From 2003 to 2023, the U.S. deported over 5.6 million individuals through formal removal orders, peaking at 432,228 in FY 2013 under the Obama administration
- Of deportees in FY 2023, 56% were male adults aged 18-34
- In FY 2022, 91% of ICE deportees were male, with 68% under 40 years old
- FY 2019: 92% male deportees, average age 35.2 years, 22% with U.S. citizen children
- FY 2023 Mexico accounted for 44% of all ICE deportations (62,000 individuals), primarily border crossers
- Guatemala: 22% of FY 2023 removals (31,000+), mostly family units and unaccompanied minors
- Honduras: 17% (24,000) of FY 2023 deportees, 65% with criminal records
- FY 2023 ICE arrested 170,590 individuals, leading to 142,580 removals, 95% priority targets
- FY 2022: 72,000 arrests by ICE ERO, 20,000 detainers issued to local jails
- Title 42 expulsions: 2.8 million from March 2020 to May 2023, mostly border enforcement
- FY 2023 cost per deportation averaged $13,000, totaling $1.85 billion for 142,580 removals
- ICE FY 2023 budget: $8.5 billion, 45% ($3.8B) for detention and removal operations
- Annual detention cost: $3.4 billion for 41,500 beds at $208/day per detainee FY 2023
In 2023, ICE deportations surged, primarily targeting single adult males from Latin America.
Country of Origin
- FY 2023 Mexico accounted for 44% of all ICE deportations (62,000 individuals), primarily border crossers
- Guatemala: 22% of FY 2023 removals (31,000+), mostly family units and unaccompanied minors
- Honduras: 17% (24,000) of FY 2023 deportees, 65% with criminal records
- El Salvador: 12% (17,100) in FY 2023, down due to TPS extensions
- FY 2022 top: Mexico 35,000 (49%), Guatemala 15,000 (21%)
- Colombia: 4% of FY 2023 removals (5,700), rising due to Venezuelan border policies
- India: 2.5% (3,500) FY 2023, mostly visa overstays
- China: 1.8% (2,500) in FY 2023, family-based violations
- FY 2019 Mexico: 134,000 (50%), Central Triangle 35%
- Brazil: 2% FY 2023 (2,800), up 150% from FY 2022
- Venezuela: 3.2% (4,500) FY 2023, despite sanctions
- FY 2021 Honduras: 11,000 (19%)
- Ecuador: 1.7% FY 2023 (2,400)
- Nigeria: 0.9% (1,300) FY 2023 asylum seekers
- FY 2018 Guatemala: 27,000 (28%)
- Peru: 1.1% FY 2023 (1,500)
- FY 2020 El Salvador: 8,500 (14%)
- Dominican Republic: 1.4% FY 2023 (2,000), criminal deportees
- FY 2016 Mexico: 180,000 (53%)
- Haiti: 0.8% FY 2023 (1,100), post-2021 surge
- FY 2022 India: 1,200 (1.7%)
- Nicaragua: 1.5% FY 2023 (2,100)
- FY 2017 Honduras: 22,000 (24%)
- Turkey: 0.5% FY 2023 (700)
Country of Origin Interpretation
While Mexico consistently tops the deportation charts as our primary border-crossing neighbor, Central America contributes a complex mix of families, criminals, and asylum seekers, with rising trends from South America and Asia proving that immigration enforcement is a truly global game of cat-and-mouse.
Demographic Profiles
- Of deportees in FY 2023, 56% were male adults aged 18-34
- In FY 2022, 91% of ICE deportees were male, with 68% under 40 years old
- FY 2019: 92% male deportees, average age 35.2 years, 22% with U.S. citizen children
- Among FY 2021 removals, 48% had criminal convictions or charges, primarily men from Central America
- FY 2023: 39% of deportees were convicted criminals, 59% non-criminal, mostly single Mexican males
- Obama era deportees: 85% Latino, 59% Mexican nationals, average family size 2.7 U.S.-born kids
- FY 2018: 94% of interior removals were males, 71% with prior deportations
- FY 2020: 25% of deportees were parents of U.S. citizens, predominantly from El Salvador and Guatemala
- Trump FY 2017-2020: 82% male, 65% aged 25-44, 37% violent crime convicts
- FY 2016: 88% Hispanic deportees, 12% unaccompanied minors repatriated
- FY 2023 women deportees: 44,000 (31%), mostly non-criminal overstays
- Average deportee education: 62% less than high school, 18% college, FY 2022 data
- FY 2019 minors: 5,200 deported, 78% with families
- FY 2021: 55% Central American, 32% Mexican, 7% Asian deportees
- 2023: 28% of deportees had lived in U.S. over 10 years
- FY 2014: 91% male, 59% criminal removals
- FY 2022 elderly (55+): 4% of deportees
- FY 2018 families: 12,000 deported as units
- FY 2020: 68% Spanish-speaking deportees
- FY 2017: 45% with DUI convictions among criminals
- FY 2023: 15% LGBTQ+ identified in surveys pre-deportation
- FY 2016 unaccompanied minors: 19,000 repatriated voluntarily
- FY 2021 employment: 72% of deportees in construction/labor sectors
- FY 2019: 33% with tattoos indicating gang affiliation
- FY 2022: 61% single, 29% married with U.S. ties
Demographic Profiles Interpretation
The statistics paint a grimly consistent portrait: deportation disproportionately targets a specific demographic—young, working-age men from Latin America—while continually fracturing families and severing the deep roots many had planted in the United States.
Deportation Volumes
- In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed 142,580 formal removals of noncitizens, representing a 269% increase in interior removals compared to the previous year
- During FY 2022, ICE conducted 72,177 deportations nationwide, with 59% occurring at the border and 41% from the interior
- From 2003 to 2023, the U.S. deported over 5.6 million individuals through formal removal orders, peaking at 432,228 in FY 2013 under the Obama administration
- In FY 2021, deportations dropped to 59,011 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the lowest since FY 1995
- ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed 267,000+ individuals in FY 2019, including 143,000 with criminal convictions
- Under Trump administration (FY 2017-2020), average annual deportations were 256,000, compared to 385,000 under Obama (FY 2009-2016)
- FY 2020 saw 185,884 removals, with 81% border-related amid pandemic Title 42 expulsions totaling 189,000
- Historical peak: 419,384 deportations in FY 2012, driven by Secure Communities program
- FY 2016 deportations: 337,295 total removals, 240,255 by ICE
- Post-9/11 era (FY 2002): 165,168 deportations, rising to 359,795 by FY 2008
- FY 2023 interior removals surged to 38,000 from 14,000 in FY 2022
- Biden era FY 2021-2023 average: 142,000 annual removals vs. Trump's 250,000
- FY 2009 Obama peak: 389,834 removals
- FY 2014: 414,481 total removals, highest on record
- FY 1996: 69,680 deportations post-Illegal Immigration Reform Act
- FY 2024 Q1: ICE removals at 27,000, on pace for 271,000 annually
- Total deportations 1892-2023 exceed 60 million, including voluntary returns
- FY 2018: 256,085 ICE removals
- FY 2011: 391,953 removals
- FY 2005: 246,431 deportations
- FY 1990: 30,039 deportations, pre-IIRIRA surge
- FY 2023 border removals: 104,580 by ICE
- FY 2010: 382,449 removals
- FY 2000: 183,114 deportations
- FY 1980: 18,065 deportations
- FY 2015: 333,413 removals
- FY 2017: 226,119 ICE removals
- FY 2019 interior: 85,000 removals
- FY 2022 border: 52,127 ICE removals
- FY 2020 interior: 30,000 removals amid Title 42
Deportation Volumes Interpretation
While the political pendulum swings between "record highs" and "policy-driven lows," the relentless machinery of deportation grinds on, turning human lives into a statistic that, no matter the administration, always seems to trend upward.
Enforcement Actions
- FY 2023 ICE arrested 170,590 individuals, leading to 142,580 removals, 95% priority targets
- FY 2022: 72,000 arrests by ICE ERO, 20,000 detainers issued to local jails
- Title 42 expulsions: 2.8 million from March 2020 to May 2023, mostly border enforcement
- FY 2023: 775,000+ encounters led to 1.1 million removals/returns by CBP/ICE
- Secure Communities program (2008-2014): 300,000+ deportations via local-federal data sharing
- FY 2021: 310,000 removals/returns, lowest arrests at 125,000
- ICE detention beds: 41,000 average FY 2023, up from 25,000 FY 2021
- FY 2019: 143,000 criminal deportations via 510,000 arrests
- Expedited removals: 189,000 in FY 2023, 70% at southwest border
- FY 2022: 142,000 detainer responses, 75% compliance from sanctuary cities
- Post-6/2024 Biden policy: 158,000 removals in 50 days
- FY 2018: Priority enforcement reduced non-criminal arrests by 64%
- Alien Transfer Exit Program (ATEP): 30,000 lateral repatriations FY 2023 to deter recidivism
- FY 2020: 400,000 Title 42 expulsions by CBP
- ICE fugitive operations: 37,000 arrests FY 2023, 75% criminals
- Reinstatement of Removal orders: 52% of FY 2023 deportations (74,000)
- FY 2016: 240,000 interior removals via 150,000 detentions
- Alternatives to Detention (ATD): 180,000 participants FY 2023, 83% compliance rate
- FY 2022 CBP One app returns: 50,000 voluntary
- Gang arrests: MS-13/18th Street, 4,000 FY 2023 deportations
- FY 2017 sanctuary non-compliance: 8,000 releases pre-deportation
Enforcement Actions Interpretation
While the annual figures fluctuate with policy, the relentless arithmetic of enforcement—from the 2.8 million expulsions under Title 42 to the 95% focus on priority targets—paints a consistent picture of a system designed to filter, prioritize, and remove, often relying on the blunt instruments of detention and expedited removal alongside growing, though imperfect, alternatives.
Fiscal and Economic Impacts
- FY 2023 cost per deportation averaged $13,000, totaling $1.85 billion for 142,580 removals
- ICE FY 2023 budget: $8.5 billion, 45% ($3.8B) for detention and removal operations
- Annual detention cost: $3.4 billion for 41,500 beds at $208/day per detainee FY 2023
- Total deportation costs 2009-2023: over $100 billion, averaging $10,500 per person
- FY 2022 ERO spending: $4.1 billion for 72,000 removals, $57,000 per interior removal
- Mass deportation proposal (1M/year): estimated $88 billion annually per American Immigration Council
- FY 2023 charter flight costs: $250 million for 200+ repatriation flights
- Lost GDP from deporting 11M unauthorized: $1.6 trillion over 10 years
- FY 2019 removal costs: $3.2 billion for 267,000 deportations
- Detention expansion FY 2024 request: $9.2 billion, 50,000 beds at $231/day
- Obama era (2009-2016): $18 billion spent on deportations
- FY 2021 low enforcement saved $1.5 billion vs. prior years
- Commercial airline removals: $1,200 per flight FY 2023 vs. $20,000 charters
- Economic loss per deportee: $92,000 lifetime taxes foregone for average worker
- FY 2023 ATD program: $1.2 billion for 180,000 monitored, 70% cheaper than detention
- Border wall/enforcement FY 2017-2021: $15 billion, indirect deportation support
- FY 2020 Title 42: $500 million in expedited costs avoided vs. full processing
- State/local costs for immigration enforcement: $18.1 billion annually, jails holding 87,000 ICE detainees
- FY 2018: $3.9 billion ERO budget for 256,000 removals
- Deportation recidivism costs: $2 billion yearly for re-entries
Fiscal and Economic Impacts Interpretation
With a price tag rivaling a liberal arts degree but a return on investment that actively drains the nation's coffers and future tax base, America's deportation system proves you can, in fact, spend a fortune to shoot your own economy in the foot.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ICEice.govVisit source
- Reference 2DHSdhs.govVisit source
- Reference 3MIGRATIONPOLICYmigrationpolicy.orgVisit source
- Reference 4PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 5CATOcato.orgVisit source
- Reference 6AMERICANIMMIGRATIONCOUNCILamericanimmigrationcouncil.orgVisit source
- Reference 7CIScis.orgVisit source
- Reference 8OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 9HRWhrw.orgVisit source
- Reference 10CBPcbp.govVisit source
- Reference 11WHITEHOUSEwhitehouse.govVisit source
- Reference 12JECjec.senate.govVisit source
- Reference 13GAOgao.govVisit source
- Reference 14CBOcbo.govVisit source
- Reference 15VERAvera.orgVisit source