U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 271,484 immigrants during the 2023 fiscal year, marking the highest number of deportations since 2014, according to the agency’s latest annual report. While President-elect Donald Trump plans to make mass deportation a cornerstone of his administration, the report reveals that the Biden administration also executed a significant number of removals, exceeding the previous two years of his presidency. These removals primarily targeted individuals posing national security and public safety threats.
Many deported immigrants had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, reflecting the challenges the Biden administration faced amid record migration flows. The report shows that ICE removed individuals to nearly 200 countries during the fiscal year, from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner acknowledged the agency’s strained resources, emphasizing that ICE was called upon to do more without sufficient funding.
As Trump’s team outlines plans for large-scale deportations, they are preparing to face the same resource limitations that have hindered past administrations. Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, stated that to meet Trump’s deportation goals, ICE would require at least 100,000 detention beds, more than doubling the 40,000 beds the agency is currently funded for. Additionally, Homan called for a larger ICE workforce, which currently includes about 6,000 immigration enforcement officers.
Under Biden, ICE implemented new guidelines to focus enforcement on immigrants deemed national security or public safety threats. Homan, while committed to targeting individuals who pose such threats, has indicated that ICE could still detain undocumented immigrants encountered during operations.
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The ICE report reveals that about 32% of the 271,484 removals were of individuals with criminal histories. The agency’s enforcement and removal branch also arrested 113,431 immigrants, a decrease from the previous year. Of those arrests, 81,312 were individuals with criminal convictions or pending charges.
The number of individuals with final orders of removal currently stands at approximately 1.4 million. However, many of these individuals cannot be deported due to diplomatic challenges or available relief through the immigration system. According to the report, ICE is managing more than 7.6 million immigrants in removal proceedings or those subject to final removal orders, many of whom are not in custody and are still navigating the immigration process.
Under former President Barack Obama, around 400,000 immigrants were deported in a single year, primarily recent border crossers. Trump’s challenge lies in deporting individuals already residing in the country without legal status.
The increase in deportations under Biden can be attributed to various factors, including negotiations with other countries to accept more removal flights, as well as diplomatic efforts to facilitate deportations to countries such as China.
As the debate over immigration enforcement continues, both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration face the complexities of balancing security concerns, limited resources, and the need for effective immigration reform.
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