ICE deports 483,200 people in one fiscal year, a record in the agency's 23-year history

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 483,200 people during fiscal year 2026, which ended on September 30, according to figures released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is the highest annual total in the agency's 23-year history.

The total is 9% above the 442,640 deportations of the previous fiscal year and 78% above the 271,480 recorded in 2024, the last full year of Joe Biden's presidency. The agency also reported more than 474,000 arrests for immigration violations, another record. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin celebrated the numbers as the result of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

The announcement, however, did not include a breakdown of how many of those deported had criminal records, a figure ICE published in previous years. An analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University also noted that formal removals accounted for only 63% of deportations in July and August, with the rest made up of voluntary departures and returns.

According to DHS, more than three million migrants have left the United States since the start of Trump's second term. The record was announced shortly after the November 3 midterm elections, in which, according to El País, most citizens disapproved of the administration's immigration policy.

Photo: CNN en Español

Source: CNN en Español