Special Poll
In the first two weeks of President Trump’s second term, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported on Tuesday that nearly 5,700 people in the country illegally were deported or removed. An expert told Newsweek that if this pace continues, the administration would be on track to remove half the number of individuals deported in the last full fiscal year by the end of 2024. Newsweek reached out to DHS for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
President Trump centered his reelection campaign on border security, accusing the previous administration of allowing millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States. He vowed mass deportations at a scale not seen before, a promise that attracted support from a wide range of voters both before and after Election Day. Over the years, previous presidents oversaw large removal figures as well. Barack Obama and Joe Biden oversaw hundreds of thousands of deportations, while Trump’s first term saw 2.1 million removals. His highest monthly total occurred in October 2020, with more than 91,000 immigrants deported or removed.
Since Trump’s second term began, the administration has frequently touted its enforcement actions with daily social media updates on arrests and new immigration detainers. On Tuesday, officials released a video showing 5,693 deportations to 121 countries between Inauguration Day and February 3, 2025—the first official number released since January 20. By comparison, the final monthly total under President Biden, recorded in November 2024, reached about 49,000, averaging 12,200 removals weekly.
The new administration’s robust approach initially challenged diplomatic ties with Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela, all of which must accept repatriated individuals. Recently, flights began transferring some migrants to an expanded detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, although those people may not appear in official tallies because they remain in U.S. custody. Between January 2021 and November 2024, over 4.6 million individuals were deported under President Biden, with March 2022 setting the monthly record of more than 147,000. Former President Obama’s two terms saw approximately 5.3 million removals in total. These figures include both interior arrests and quick turnarounds at U.S. borders.
Many of those removed are apprehended by Border Patrol and sent home rapidly. Others spend years in detention while awaiting final removal orders. With an estimated 11 million people in the United States without legal status, President Trump’s ambitious promise to deport them all remains a significant undertaking. Tom Homan, who oversees border issues for the administration, has said that current operations target serious or violent offenders first. Meanwhile, the White House is urging Congress to authorize more funding for officers and detention space, though reports suggest some of those arrested have already been released.
César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, an immigration scholar at Ohio State University, expressed skepticism about such quick release of accurate data, noting that ICE has long struggled with timely reporting. A DHS social media post highlighted the administration’s commitment to removing violent criminals. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem praised the arrests of people convicted of murder, rape, child abuse, and drug trafficking, stating that America is “no longer a safe haven” for such offenders. David Bier, who directs immigration studies at the Cato Institute, pointed out that much depends on whether these deportations originated from the interior of the country or at the border. If half stem from the interior, it could mean a substantial increase in that category of removals.
Some supporters of strict enforcement policies say the current pace represents only a start and believe the number of removals needs to rise further. Homan, however, has emphasized that it will take time to expand operations. The administration is expected to keep publicizing arrests around the country to show it is fulfilling the president’s pledges on immigration.