The U.S. has deported millions of undocumented immigrants under Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden, but each administration’s approach has differed significantly in scale and strategy. As President-elect Trump promises to ramp up deportations, a look at the numbers reveals surprising trends.
Under President Obama, deportations reached historic highs. From 2009 to 2016, his administration conducted over 3 million removals and 5.24 million total repatriations when including voluntary returns.
Obama prioritized deporting individuals who posed security threats or had criminal records, with 91% of 2015’s deportations involving such cases.
In contrast, President Trump oversaw 2 million total deportations and returns during his term. While he reversed Obama’s policy of prioritizing criminals, deportations fell far short of his promises.
By 2019, only 41% of deportations involved individuals with criminal records, compared to Obama’s higher rates.
President Biden’s administration has repatriated 4.7 million people so far, surpassing his predecessors in total numbers. However, much of this was driven by Title 42, a pandemic-era health policy, which allowed for expedited expulsions.
Under traditional immigration law, Biden’s numbers are far lower, with just 649,000 formal removals since 2021.
As Trump prepares to take office, his administration is signaling plans for an unprecedented deportation campaign. Trump’s prior administration saw mixed results in deportation enforcement, leaving questions about the feasibility of his new goals.
