Washington, USA: The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported deporting over 270,000 individuals in a 12-month span, marking the highest figures recorded in a decade. These deportations included flights to 192 nations, such as India. The agency's latest data highlights the logistical and financial challenges it faces, particularly as its operational demands grow.
For the fiscal year ending September 30, ICE facilitated the removal of 271,484 individuals, nearly doubling the 142,580 deportations from the previous year. This represents the highest annual deportation count since 2014 when 315,943 individuals were removed. During Donald Trump’s first term, the peak was 267,258 deportations in 2019.
The surge in deportations was driven by increased flight operations, including weekend departures, and expedited travel arrangements to countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. ICE also carried out its first large-scale deportation flight to China in six years and sent individuals to a variety of destinations, including Albania, Angola, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritania, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, US Customs and Border Protection reported 46,612 arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico in November, a significant drop from the 56,526 arrests in October and the record-high 250,000 arrests in December 2023. Arrests have steadily declined, partly due to stricter border enforcement by Mexican authorities and the Biden administration’s asylum restrictions introduced in June. The November statistics represent the lowest monthly total since July 2020, countering expectations of an immediate surge in crossings following Trump’s election.
The ICE report revealed that Mexico was the top destination for deportations (87,298 individuals), followed by Guatemala (66,435) and Honduras (45,923). Mexico and Central American nations remain primary targets for removals due to their logistical accessibility and willingness to accept returning citizens.
Despite the increased deportations, ICE’s capacity remains constrained by its detention space and staffing. The agency’s enforcement division, which has maintained a workforce of around 6,000 officers over the past decade, now manages a caseload that has ballooned to 7.6 million, up from 6.1 million in the previous year alone. On average, ICE detained 37,700 individuals daily over the 12-month period, a figure determined by congressional budget allocations. Texas has proposed using rural land as staging grounds to address detention limitations for future mass deportations.
ICE also reported 113,431 arrests during the period, a 34% decrease from 170,590 arrests the previous year. The agency attributed this decline to prioritizing resources at the US-Mexico border, which reduced interior enforcement efforts.
