ICE Deports Record 483,200 People in Fiscal Year 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026 as the Trump administration maintains a high-volume arrest offensive.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026, the highest single-year total in the agency's history. The agency also recorded over 491,000 arrests, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests for civil violations. These figures represent a 78% increase over the final full fiscal year of the Joe Biden administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the results as a success in making America safe. However, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University challenged these figures, stating that actual removals declined after January 2025 because the government included returns—individuals who self-deported—in its totals. Additionally, the Migration Policy Institute found that only about 20% of combined ICE and Border Patrol deportations involved individuals with criminal convictions.
Following heavy Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump acknowledged in a "60 Minutes" interview that the crackdown may have been "too tough," particularly regarding longtime immigrants. Despite this admission, the administration appointed hard-line architect Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff. Miller is expected to maintain the offensive, with reports indicating ICE has been instructed to target approximately 19,000 arrests per week.
Recent operations have expanded far from the border, including arrests in Phoenix, Alabama, and San Diego. In Los Angeles, masked officers blocked an emergency room driveway at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, an action the government claimed was necessary to provide medical treatment for a detainee.
