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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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The Trump administration told Newsweek Tuesday that over 100,000 illegal immigrants had been deported from the United States since January 20.
While official data sets have not been updated since mid-January, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) update suggested a significant uptick in removals in recent weeks.
On March 19, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Newsweek that 28,319 individuals had been deported between Inauguration Day and March 11.
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"The Biden administration deported 271,000 people during the final year and that was the highest in about a decade. I suppose if the administration is claiming that they have done more than a third of that already in two months, I'm skeptical of the 100,000 number, but not impossible," Austin Kocher, immigration research professor at Syracuse University, told Newsweek Tuesday.
"That's getting closer to Obama-era numbers, so I wouldn't say it's on its face impossible. I have a hard time seeing 70,000 people deported in two weeks. Putting those two claims together makes me very skeptical," Kocher said.
Why It Matters
As Newsweek reported last month, data on immigration has become harder to track since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, despite the issue being a core part of his sweeping policy agenda. Deportations have been particularly hard to track, and Tuesday's update from DHS still did not provide a definitive number.
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What To Know
A spokesperson for the DHS told Newsweek that over 113,000 illegal immigrants had been detained by ICE and other federal agencies since January 20, while "north of" 100,000 deportations had taken place.
The latest number would mean over 70,000 removals would need to have occurred since ICE's update to Newsweek on March 19. With some removals temporarily restricted and resources stretched it is unclear how such a number would have been achieved.
DHS did not respond to Newsweek's question about how the administration had been able to ramp up deportations so significantly and what efforts were being made to continue the program.
While ICE is not the sole agency recording deportations, as DHS was tracking other removals until November 2024, it is the leading authority on the matter. ICE is responsible for most removal flights for those arrested by its agents and those from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The latest ICE detention data, updated March 27, showed 11,074 immigrants released from ICE detention for removal in March so far. That figure was 14,310 in February. Overall, DHS data has been infrequently updated, if at all, since January 20.
While arrests have significantly increased, with widely publicized raids and targeted enforcement actions by ICE and partnering agencies, detention space is also limited. Some immigrants are likely to have been released on bond or with GPS tracking pending further removal proceedings. As of March 27, 47,304 individuals were in ICE custody.
The Trump administration has also been encouraging those in the U.S. illegally, or whose status has lapsed, to self-deport using the CBP Home app, bypassing ICE enforcement. Again, exact numbers have not been given on the app's usage, but DHS has touted self-deportations being "up."
What People Are Saying
Syracuse University professor Austin Kocher told Newsweek: "At this point, this early point, I'm skeptical about any number that the administration provides that fits neatly within its own political, rhetorical strategy. If it is too neat and it lacks context and evidence, I am skeptical."
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, on X, formerly Twitter: "This did not happen. DHS reported 32,000 post-Jan. 20th arrests as of March 13. They did not arrest twice that number in two weeks. Why are they throwing out this crazy stuff? There has not been 100,000 removals either."
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, on X: "Under President Donald Trump, our borders are more secure than ever in American history. Border Patrol encounters for the month of March were 7,181 total. Compare that to the 160,000+ average monthly encounters under Joe Biden. Thank you to the patriotic CBP men and women who work every day to make this country safe again."
What's Next
Some deportation efforts, such as under the Alien Enemies Act, remain under legal challenges and Temporary Restraining Orders. It remains to be seen when official data on immigration from DHS will be made publicly available on its website once more.
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