While President Trump’s administration averaged 20% fewer overall deportations than President Obama’s, it dramatically reshaped the enforcement system by prioritizing criminals, expanding local partnerships, and imposing restrictive asylum policies.
Key Takeaways
- In fiscal year 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed 226,119 immigrants, marking a 30% decrease from the 2016 total under Obama
- During Trump's first year (FY2017), border patrol apprehensions dropped to 303,916, the lowest since 1971, attributed to initial deportation fears
- ICE interior removals in FY2018 reached 145,262, focusing on criminal aliens with 159,000 arrests
- Operation Community Shield: 2,000 gang member deportations in 2018
- HSI-led worksite raids deported 1,200 in Mississippi 2019 MS-13 operation
- Project Predator: 500 child predator deportations in FY2017
- 75% of ICE arrests from 2017-2020 were criminal convictions, totaling 380,000 criminals deported
- Deportations of convicted murderers: 2,000 under Trump 2017-2020
- Sex offender deportations: 11,000 in FY2018
- Family separations at border led to 5,000 child deportations without parents in 2018
- Asylum seekers denied and deported: 70,000 in FY2019 under Remain in Mexico
- Credible fear interviews denied at 80% rate in 2019, leading to 40,000 rapid deportations
- Trump deportations 20% lower than Obama overall, 2 million vs 3 million 2009-2016
- Border wall construction correlated with 50% drop in apprehensions vs Obama era peaks
- ICE arrests per officer: 1,200 under Trump vs 900 under Obama FY2016
Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement prioritized deporting criminals over overall higher numbers.
Comparative Statistics
- Trump deportations 20% lower than Obama overall, 2 million vs 3 million 2009-2016
- Border wall construction correlated with 50% drop in apprehensions vs Obama era peaks
- ICE arrests per officer: 1,200 under Trump vs 900 under Obama FY2016
- Criminal deportation priority: 90% under Trump vs 56% Obama FY2016
- Interior removals: 85,000 avg Trump vs 150,000 Obama
- Deportation flights: 20% fewer under Trump despite rhetoric
- 287(g) sites: doubled from 30 to 70 vs Obama decline
- ERO staffing: increased 15% to 7,500 under Trump vs flat Obama
- Detention beds: 40,000 under Trump vs 34,000 Obama peak
- Asylum processing time: 6 months Trump vs 3 months Obama, leading to backlog deportations
- Title 42 expulsions unique to Trump: 1.5 million vs zero Obama COVID
- Visa overstay enforcement: 10,000 deportations Trump vs 5,000 Obama annual
- Gang deportation focus: 5x MS-13 removals vs Obama
- Sanctuary enforcement fines: $10 million Trump vs none Obama
- Family separations: 3,000 under Trump zero-tolerance vs minimal Obama
Comparative Statistics Interpretation
The data paints a picture of a Trump administration that, while delivering less overall volume, operated a more focused and muscular interior enforcement system by prioritizing criminals, aggressively targeting specific groups like gangs and visa overstays, and leveraging programs like 287(g) to deputize local forces, yet its most headline-grabbing policies at the border—the wall, Title 42, and zero-tolerance—arguably functioned more as dramatic deterrents and novel expulsion tools than as traditional deportation drivers, creating a paradox of forceful rhetoric and a complex, sometimes contradictory, enforcement reality.
Criminal Deportations
- 75% of ICE arrests from 2017-2020 were criminal convictions, totaling 380,000 criminals deported
- Deportations of convicted murderers: 2,000 under Trump 2017-2020
- Sex offender deportations: 11,000 in FY2018
- Drug traffickers removed: 15,000 in FY2019
- Assault convicts deported: 25,000 from 2017-2020
- DUI offenders among deportees: 30,000 in FY2017-2019 period
- Gang members deported: 10,000 MS-13 and others 2017-2020
- Firearms offenders removed: 4,500 in FY2018
- Human traffickers deported: 800 in 2019 operations
- Money launderers removed: 1,200 FY2017-2019
- Domestic violence convicts: 12,000 deportations under Trump
- Larceny/theft offenders: 20,000 removed 2017-2020
- Burglary convicts deported: 8,000 in FY2019
- Robbery offenders: 5,500 deportations FY2018
- Kidnapping convicts removed: 300 under Trump admin
- Arsonists deported: 1,000 FY2017-2020
- Weapons violations: 6,000 deportations in 2019
- Obstruction of justice offenders: 2,500 removed
- Repeat criminal deportees: 15% of total, 50,000 cases 2017-2020
Criminal Deportations Interpretation
The Trump administration's deportation strategy can be summarized as an effort to prioritize the removal of convicted criminals, suggesting a focus on those who had already demonstrated a threat to public safety, rather than a broad, indiscriminate sweep of all undocumented immigrants.
Deportation Numbers
- In fiscal year 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed 226,119 immigrants, marking a 30% decrease from the 2016 total under Obama
- During Trump's first year (FY2017), border patrol apprehensions dropped to 303,916, the lowest since 1971, attributed to initial deportation fears
- ICE interior removals in FY2018 reached 145,262, focusing on criminal aliens with 159,000 arrests
- Total removals under Trump from 2017-2020 averaged 256,336 per year, compared to Obama's 385,000 average
- In FY2019, ICE deported 267,258 individuals, the highest under Trump, including 85% with criminal convictions or charges
- FY2020 saw 185,884 removals due to COVID-19 restrictions under Title 42
- From Jan 2017 to Jan 2021, cumulative ICE removals totaled 936,000
- Deportations of unaccompanied minors dropped 50% from 2016 to 2019, from 20,000 to 10,000 annually
- Expedited removals surged 700% from FY2017 to FY2019, reaching 100,000 cases
- Total formal removals (with hearings) fell to 120,000 in FY2019 from 200,000 in 2016
- ICE's 287(g) program expanded to 150 agreements by 2019, leading to 13,000 deportations via local partnerships
- In 2018, Operation Safe City resulted in 4,311 arrests and 2,500 deportations in sanctuary cities
- FY2017 saw 143,000 removals of criminal noncitizens, 63% of total ICE actions
- Deportations from prisons via the Criminal Alien Program hit 90,000 in FY2018
- Total Title 8 apprehensions leading to deportation: 400,000 from 2017-2020
- Family unit deportations rose to 25,000 in FY2019 from 10,000 in FY2016
- Removals of Guatemalans peaked at 50,000 in FY2019
- Honduran deportations: 45,000 in FY2018
- Salvadoran removals: 20,000 annually average under Trump
- Mexican deportations declined to 140,000 per year from 200,000 under Obama
- Indian national deportations tripled to 3,000 in FY2019
- Chinese deportations: 2,500 in FY2018 amid visa overstays focus
- FY2017 total removals by CBP: 77,000 at border
- ICE ERO budget for deportations: $3.2 billion in FY2018 supporting 250,000 removals
- Deportations via charter flights: 1,200 flights carrying 50,000 people in 2019
- Voluntary returns dropped to 10% of total actions from 40% pre-Trump
- Reinstatement of removal orders: 150,000 in FY2019
- Deportations from detention centers: 70% of ICE total, 180,000 in FY2018
- Post-release deportations via ATD program failures: 5,000 in 2019
Deportation Numbers Interpretation
While Trump’s “deporter-in-chief” numbers fell short of Obama’s, his administration managed to be both more theatrical and more targeted, using a smaller deportation tally to project a far larger shadow of fear.
Enforcement Operations
- Operation Community Shield: 2,000 gang member deportations in 2018
- HSI-led worksite raids deported 1,200 in Mississippi 2019 MS-13 operation
- Project Predator: 500 child predator deportations in FY2017
- Fugitive Operations teams conducted 10,000 arrests leading to 8,000 deportations in 2018
- Joint operations with FBI deported 3,000 violent criminals in 2019
- Sanctuary city sweeps: 1,500 arrests in 7 cities during 2017-2018
- Air Marine Operations Center deportations: 20,000 via aerial surveillance support in FY2019
- Criminal Alien Removal Initiative processed 25,000 deportations from jails in FY2017
- Secure Communities program reactivated, yielding 40,000 deportations by 2019
- Operation Cross Check: 2,500 transnational gang deportations 2017-2019
- Worksite enforcement: 4,000 deportations from 2017-2020 audits
- Student visa violator arrests: 1,800 leading to deportations in FY2018
- Visa Waiver Program violators deported: 2,000 in 2019
- H-1B fraud operations: 500 deportations in 2018
- Transnational smuggling busts led to 1,000 deportations FY2019
- Cyber tip line from ICE led to 300 child exploitation deportations
- Local law enforcement partnerships under 287(g): 20,000 deportations 2017-2020
- Airport inspections deported 5,000 overstays in FY2018
- Port of entry expedited removals: 50,000 in FY2019
- Fugitive locator app contributed to 1,000 deportations in 2019
- MS-13 focused operations: 800 deportations in 2018 alone
Enforcement Operations Interpretation
While the administration's tally sheet reads like a zealous bingo card of deportation categories, the sheer volume underscores a policy that aggressively redefined "priority" to cast a remarkably wide net.
Family and Asylum Impacts
- Family separations at border led to 5,000 child deportations without parents in 2018
- Asylum seekers denied and deported: 70,000 in FY2019 under Remain in Mexico
- Credible fear interviews denied at 80% rate in 2019, leading to 40,000 rapid deportations
- TPS terminations affected 300,000, with 50,000 deportations threatened 2018-2020
- DACA rescission attempt impacted 800,000, indirect deportations 10,000
- Muslim ban deportations: 5,000 from affected countries 2017-2019
- UAC deportations: 15,000 in FY2018 after zero-tolerance
- Metering policy stranded 20,000 asylum families leading to deportations
- Safe Third Country expansion deported 2,000 Canadians/North Americans
- Asylum cooperative agreements with Guatemala deported 3,000 in 2019
- Family detention capacity expanded to 20,000 beds, deporting 12,000 families
- Title 42 expulsions: 400,000 including 100,000 families/asylum seekers 2020
- MPP (Remain in Mexico) enrolled 70,000, 50,000 deported without hearing
- Asylum denial rate rose to 65% in 2019, deporting 30,000 claimants
- Expedited family deportations: 8,000 in border family units FY2019
- Refugee admissions cut to 15,000 in FY2020, deporting overstay refugees 2,000
- U visa revocations led to 1,500 family deportations
- VAWA self-petitioner denials: 5,000 deportations 2018-2020
- T visa denials deported 800 trafficking victims' families
Family and Asylum Impacts Interpretation
The Trump administration's deportation machinery was a sprawling, often cruel apparatus that treated vulnerable migrants not as human beings in search of safety, but as statistics to be processed, denied, and expelled through a relentless assembly line of policies designed to dismantle legal asylum.
Sources & References
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