President Biden Sets Record for Highest Number of Illegal Immigrant Deportations in History

Khabarmala Report,  According to a newly released report, the United States deported more than 270,000 immigrants in a recent 12-month period. This figure represents the highest annual deportation number in a decade. The government report, released on Thursday, stated that the deportations were nearly double the 142,580 recorded during the previous year.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, it deported illegal immigrants from 192 countries. According to the agency’s annual enforcement report, this figure is the highest since 2014. It also surpasses the number of deportations during President Donald Trump’s administration from 2017 to 2021, which saw 315,943 people deported.

Donald Trump, who won another term in the White House in November, has pledged to deport a record number of illegal immigrants as part of a broader immigration crackdown. However, his actual implementation of this promise is yet to be seen.

Although more people were deported under the Biden administration, Trump’s transition spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, argued that the number was still low compared to the high levels of illegal immigration seen during Trump’s term.

“On day one, President Trump will resolve the immigration and national security crisis created by Joe Biden and launch the largest mass deportation operation of illegal criminals in U.S. history,” Leavitt said in a statement.

According to estimates from the government and think tanks, around 11 million immigrants in 2022 either did not have legal status or were under temporary protection. Some analysts now estimate that this number has risen to between 13 million and 14 million.

Reports from Reuters indicated that the incoming Trump administration plans to utilize federal resources to strengthen its deportation initiative. According to an investigation by The Guardian, the Biden administration has already laid the groundwork for the expansion of immigration detention centers, a move expected to facilitate Trump’s broader plan for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Trump attempted to increase deportations during his first term, but his success was limited. In the 2019 fiscal year, ICE deported 267,000 immigrants, a figure lower than most years under former President Barack Obama.

When considering both deportations carried out by ICE and the returns to Mexico by U.S. border authorities, the Biden administration was responsible for deporting more illegal immigrants in the 2023 fiscal year than in any year of the Trump administration.

Although deportations increased in the 2024 fiscal year, arrests of illegal immigrants living within the U.S. by ICE decreased by 33%, according to the agency’s annual report. The report attributed this decline to more officers being assigned to assist with border security operations.