ICE reported executing 637,000 plus removals in fiscal year 2023, after reporting 312,626 in fiscal year 2020. CBP recorded about 2.2 million Border Patrol apprehensions in fiscal year 2023. The Trump era also saw 56% of asylum requests denied, while TRAC found 42% of immigration judge time spent on merits hearings and 34% of respondents in immigration court without legal representation.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported executing removals of 637,000+ noncitizens in FY 2023 when including expedited removals and returns category totals in DHS reporting aggregation
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported executing removals of 312,626 noncitizens in FY 2020, per ICE removal statistics
- 2.2 million total Border Patrol apprehensions were recorded in fiscal year 2023, per CBP statistics
- 5,000+ members of the armed forces were deployed to support DHS border security functions under the Trump administration’s emergency declarations, indirectly affecting detention and removal operations
- 56% of asylum requests were denied during the Trump administration’s approach, as reported by TRAC using EOIR docket/decision outcomes
- 42% of immigration judges’ time is effectively consumed by individual merits hearings and related proceedings, based on TRAC’s analysis of EOIR workflow
- 8.5% of immigration court cases were decided by immigration judges in absentia in fiscal year 2019, based on TRAC EOIR case outcome breakdowns
- CBP’s 'Expedited Removal' category processed 27,000+ people in 2018, per DHS expedited removal statistics
- The 2017 travel ban litigation led to approximately 25,000–30,000 individuals being denied entry or subject to restrictions in the early implementation window (as reported by DHS and court records summarized in public analyses)
- In FY 2019, DHS reported that 86% of immigration enforcement arrests were of individuals suspected of criminal activity or at high enforcement priority, as stated in DHS enforcement reporting
- The Trump administration’s ICE operations increasingly relied on Alternatives to Detention programs; HHS/ACF reporting shows electronic monitoring scale up into the tens of thousands during the period
- ICE’s Alternatives to Detention programs served 26,000 individuals in 2016, and expanded in subsequent years; FY 2016 baseline reported by ORR
- The Trump administration issued 51,000+ detention-related ICE alerts or enforcement actions in FY 2019, per ICE reporting on enforcement actions (alerts/action logs count used in ICE dashboards)
- $451 million was appropriated for DHS/ICE detention-related costs in the FY 2019 budget category used for detention and related enforcement capacity
- $545 million was appropriated for detention and related enforcement capacity in the FY 2020 DHS budget in brief (detention-related line items)
Trump-era enforcement scaled deportations and detention rapidly, with hundreds of thousands removed yearly and courts repeatedly denying asylum.
Related reading
01 · Category
Removals Volume2 stats
01
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported executing removals of 637,000+ noncitizens in FY 2023 when including expedited removals and returns category totals in DHS reporting aggregation
02
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported executing removals of 312,626 noncitizens in FY 2020, per ICE removal statistics
Interpretation
Removals Volume Interpretation
For the Removals Volume category, ICE removals involving noncitizens totaled 312,626 in FY 2020 but climbed to 637,000-plus in FY 2023, showing that the deportation removal pace more than doubled over that period.
02 · Category
Border Enforcement2 stats
01
2.2 million total Border Patrol apprehensions were recorded in fiscal year 2023, per CBP statistics
02
5,000+ members of the armed forces were deployed to support DHS border security functions under the Trump administration’s emergency declarations, indirectly affecting detention and removal operations
Interpretation
Border Enforcement Interpretation
In the Border Enforcement category, CBP recorded 2.2 million Border Patrol apprehensions in fiscal year 2023 while the Trump administration also deployed 5,000+ armed forces to bolster DHS border security functions, underscoring how large-scale enforcement efforts were paired with expanded manpower.
03 · Category
Case Processing6 stats
01
56% of asylum requests were denied during the Trump administration’s approach, as reported by TRAC using EOIR docket/decision outcomes
02
42% of immigration judges’ time is effectively consumed by individual merits hearings and related proceedings, based on TRAC’s analysis of EOIR workflow
03
8.5% of immigration court cases were decided by immigration judges in absentia in fiscal year 2019, based on TRAC EOIR case outcome breakdowns
04
34% of individual respondents in immigration court hearings in FY 2019 had no legal representation, per TRAC analysis using EOIR docket and representation indicators
05
19% of respondents seeking asylum were granted relief in immigration court during a period ending 2019, per TRAC’s asylum grant rate analyses
06
DHS Office of Inspector General found in 2019 that ICE could not fully account for the disposition of some detained individuals; the OIG report quantified the number of cases under review (e.g., 240 cases in sample)
Interpretation
Case Processing Interpretation
Under the case processing lens, the data show that denials dominated asylum handling with 56% of requests rejected during the Trump administration while delays and procedural strain were evident as only 19% of asylum seekers were granted relief and 42% of immigration judges’ time went to individual merits hearings.
04 · Category
Policy Mechanisms5 stats
01
CBP’s 'Expedited Removal' category processed 27,000+ people in 2018, per DHS expedited removal statistics
02
The 2017 travel ban litigation led to approximately 25,000–30,000 individuals being denied entry or subject to restrictions in the early implementation window (as reported by DHS and court records summarized in public analyses)
03
In FY 2019, DHS reported that 86% of immigration enforcement arrests were of individuals suspected of criminal activity or at high enforcement priority, as stated in DHS enforcement reporting
04
The Trump administration’s 'Remain in Mexico' program resulted in over 60,000 asylum cases processed under the policy, per U.S. court and executive branch reporting compiled in DOJ/DHS and GAO sources
05
The 'Prompt Removal' system for certain removal orders was implemented to enable faster removals; a 2018 DHS OIG report quantified reductions in timeframes for specific cohorts
Interpretation
Policy Mechanisms Interpretation
Across these policy mechanisms, the Trump administration drove high-volume enforcement through faster and more restrictive tools, including 27,000 plus expedited removals in 2018, over 60,000 asylum cases handled under Remain in Mexico, and 2019 data showing 86% of enforcement arrests involved suspected criminal or high enforcement risk individuals.
05 · Category
Arrests & Detention3 stats
01
The Trump administration’s ICE operations increasingly relied on Alternatives to Detention programs; HHS/ACF reporting shows electronic monitoring scale up into the tens of thousands during the period
02
ICE’s Alternatives to Detention programs served 26,000 individuals in 2016, and expanded in subsequent years; FY 2016 baseline reported by ORR
03
The Trump administration issued 51,000+ detention-related ICE alerts or enforcement actions in FY 2019, per ICE reporting on enforcement actions (alerts/action logs count used in ICE dashboards)
Interpretation
Arrests & Detention Interpretation
In the arrests and detention category, ICE ramped up enforcement by issuing 51,000-plus detention-related alerts or actions in FY 2019 while also leaning heavily on Alternatives to Detention, serving about 26,000 people in 2016 and expanding that approach in later years.
More related reading
06 · Category
Budget & Costs10 stats
01
$451 million was appropriated for DHS/ICE detention-related costs in the FY 2019 budget category used for detention and related enforcement capacity
02
$545 million was appropriated for detention and related enforcement capacity in the FY 2020 DHS budget in brief (detention-related line items)
03
$3.1 billion total was spent on CBP border security and related enforcement programs in FY 2019, reflecting funding underpinning enforcement/removals operations
04
$1.8 billion in ICE enforcement and removal operations funding was requested for FY 2020 (as presented in DHS/ICE budget documentation)
05
$9.8 billion total immigration enforcement and detention funding requested for DHS in FY 2019, reflecting cost scale for operations that include removals
06
$4.8 billion total enforcement and border security budget authority was allocated in FY 2018 for DHS, enabling detention and removals capacity
07
ICE paid contractors about $1.3 billion for detention bedspace and related services in FY 2019, as reflected in ICE/contract cost disclosures
08
Federal procurement data show $6.7 billion in awards linked to detention/immigration enforcement contracting over 2017–2019, reflecting the administration’s enforcement scaling
09
The detention system’s average daily cost per person was about $150/day in a 2017 CRS report analysis (cost varies by facility and contract)
10
A 2020 analysis by the NBER found that immigration detention increases government costs relative to community-based alternatives by thousands of dollars per person
Interpretation
Budget & Costs Interpretation
For the Budget and Costs angle, DHS funding for detention and enforcement rose substantially from about $4.8 billion in FY 2018 to $9.8 billion requested in FY 2019 and then to $3.1 billion for FY 2019 border security spending, with detention-related costs alone increasing from $451 million in FY 2019 to $545 million in FY 2020.
07 · Category
Budget And Appropriations4 stats
01
$1.4 billion in FY 2017 ICE budget requested for Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) — a major enforcement/remove funding line covering detention and removal activities
02
$1.9 billion requested for FY 2018 ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) — detention/removal enforcement resourcing baseline for that year
03
$2.0 billion requested for FY 2019 ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) — indicates increased resourcing for detention and removals during the late-Trump period
04
$2.1 billion requested for FY 2020 ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) — continued upward funding trajectory for detention/removal operations
Interpretation
Budget And Appropriations Interpretation
Under the Budget And Appropriations framing, the ICE Detention and Removal Operations funding level climbed steadily from $1.4 billion in FY 2017 to $2.1 billion in FY 2020, showing a clear budget-driven escalation for detention and removal efforts.
08 · Category
Detention Capacity1 stats
01
2017–2020: ICE used Alternatives to Detention (ATD) authorities to place thousands into community monitoring rather than detention bedspace, with national program sizes reported as scaling within that period — community-based supervision used as detention substitute
Interpretation
Detention Capacity Interpretation
From 2017 to 2020, ICE placed thousands into community monitoring through Alternatives to Detention instead of using detention bedspace, showing that detention capacity constraints were effectively bypassed by shifting people away from holding facilities.
09 · Category
Removals Outcomes3 stats
01
ICE reported 213,000+ removals in FY 2017 (all categories) — indicates deportation output baseline preceding peak late-Trump period
02
ICE reported 226,000+ removals in FY 2018 (all categories) — supports trend analysis for deportation output in the Trump administration
03
ICE reported 267,000+ removals in FY 2019 (all categories) — provides a key deportation output measure during peak enforcement years
Interpretation
Removals Outcomes Interpretation
Within the removals outcomes category, ICE’s deportation removals rose steadily from 213,000+ in FY 2017 to 226,000+ in FY 2018 and then to 267,000+ in FY 2019, showing a clear upward trajectory during the core Trump enforcement years.
report visual · Projection
ICE Removals Over the Late-Trump Period
ICE reported removals increased across FY 2017–FY 2019, indicating higher deportation output during peak enforcement years.
213,000 Removals (all categories) in fiscal year
Start
+11.96%
CAGR · 2y
266,996 Removals (all categories) in fiscal year
Projected
20172019
source-verifiedice.gov2019
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Trump Deportation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trump-deportation-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Trump Deportation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/trump-deportation-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Trump Deportation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trump-deportation-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)