U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported the largest number of people in recorded history this year, as President Donald Trump considers performing a U-turn on his hardline immigration policies.
According to Department of Homeland Security data obtained by CBS News on Thursday, ICE has deported a record 483,200 people in the 2026 fiscal year alone. Tens of thousands of others were arrested by ICE agents in 2026 but not removed.
President Donald Trump exits the stage after delivering remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at the Davos Congress Center. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
President Donald J. Trump participates in a restricted bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
ICE deported 40,560 more people in the 2026 fiscal year than its previous record of 442,640 in 2025, with the numbers bringing the Trump administration’s level of deportations in line with former president Barack Obama’s level of deportations.
Trump is Finally Reaching the Level of Deportations Carried Out by Barack Obama
Obama deported more illegal immigrants between 2009 and 2016 than Trump did in his first term by far. The former president consistently beat Trump year by year in the number of deportations until Trump’s second term, when Obama’s record was finally beaten.
Former president Joe Biden oversaw the lowest number of deportations of any president in the 21st century, with his numbers between 2021 and 2025 falling far below those of Obama, Trump, and George W. Bush.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a statement. “September 2026 was the best September in ICE’s history in terms of arrests. The total number of ICE arrests in Fiscal Year 2026 was more than all three full fiscal years under Biden combined, as the patriots of ICE work around the clock to make America safe again.”
He concluded, “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives.”
As Deportations Reach Record High, Trump Seems to be Having a Change of Heart
As ICE deportations reach a record high, however, the president appears to be having a change of heart over his policies on the removal of illegal immigrants.
Following the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterm elections this month, Trump told reporters that his policies may have been “too tough” and suggested he would be willing to work with Democrats over the next two years to advance legislation which, at least seemed to suggest, would allow some illegal immigrants to stay in the country permanently.
“I think it was too tough. I think it might be too tough. I think ultimately that hurt me [in the midterms],” said Trump during an interview with “60 Minutes” discussing his immigration policies.
Trump’s Remarks Hinting at a U-turn on Immigration Have Angered Many Supporters
Trump’s remarks angered many of his supporters on social media, with conservatives accusing him of proposing an amnesty for illegal immigrants — an idea Trump has previously condemned.
In 2013, Trump warned that “amnesty” would be destructive for the Republican Party, as he believed at least at the time, illegal immigrants were much more likely to vote Democrat.
Following the uproar, the White House denied that Trump would support an amnesty, prompting accusations from disgruntled supporters that the White House was gaslighting the base.
The situation was further complicated after the White House announced following the midterms that Stephen Miller—one of the Trump administration’s most vocal supporters of deportation—would take over from Susie Wiles as the new White House chief of staff.
Miller has repeatedly opposed amnesty and any other type of deal that would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
First Lady Melania Trump Reportedly Complained About People She Knew Being Deported by ICE
The Wall Street Journal reported this month that Trump’s stance on immigration had been vacillating throughout the year.
The president reportedly told Miller that the administration’s deportation efforts had gone too far after First Lady Melania Trump “complained about people she knew getting deported.”
Republicans in Texas and Florida also reportedly complained to the White House about the Trump administration’s deportations.
About the Author: Charlie Nash
Charlie Nash is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Spectator, Mediaite, New Statesman, and the American Conservative, among other major publications. His reporting has been featured by The Washington Post, Fox News, the Daily Beast, MS NOW, NewsNation, Hannity, and more. You can follow Charlie on X at @CharlieNash and on LinkedIn.
