First appearance on FOXA new analysis has found that the number of deportations of illegal immigrants from the US has fallen significantly under the Biden administration compared to the Trump administration, even as the administration and some media outlets have highlighted an increase in overall deportations.
A new analysis by the National Center for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (NICE), a law enforcement advocacy group, looked at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data and compared ICE deportations across administrations. Put simply, they found that ICE deportations of illegal immigrants alone have declined significantly under the Biden administration compared to the Trump administration, even as the number of immigrants entering the country has increased significantly under the Biden administration.
According to the analysis, ICE deported 935,346 illegal immigrants under the Trump administration, accounting for 31.1% of the more than 2 million illegal immigration cases.
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Analysis by the National Immigration Enforcement Center
Under the Biden-Harris administration, there were more than 9.6 million encounters, a significant increase, but only 4.4% of those, or 406,638, were removed by ICE.
The analysis used official ICE data, which showed that ICE deportations topped 250,000 per year in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, but dropped to 185,000 in fiscal year 2020 and just 59,011 in fiscal year 2021 amid the COVID pandemic. They then rose to 72,177 in fiscal year 2022 and 142,580 in fiscal year 2023.
This contrasts with, but does not directly contradict, assertions by the administration and some media outlets that the overall number of evictions has skyrocketed since Title 42 ended.
“Biden is currently deporting more people than Trump has.” Reuters headline He said this month.
“Trump has said he wants to deport millions of people. He’s going to have a hard time deporting more people than Biden.” Politico Story Said.
Trump considers multiple border visits in contrast to far-left Harris
Both articles, and the administration itself, point out that removals and deportations by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in general, including those by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where migrants may be quickly turned away at the border before being released. Both articles point out that removals by ICE alone are down since the Trump administration.
If CBP deportations are included, the figures rise substantially after Title 42 ended last May, which led to a huge increase in deportations. By that measure, Trump oversaw 1.5 million deportations and removals, while Biden oversaw more than 1.1 million through February of this year, according to a Reuters analysis.
ICE agents were filmed arresting the man. (ICE ERO El Paso/X)
“The majority of encounters at the southwest border during the past three fiscal years ended in removal, deportation, or expulsion. DHS removed or deported more than 740,000 individuals in the 12 months following the end of the Title 42 public health order, the most since 2010,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a recent report. Fact Sheet“This includes more deportations to countries other than Mexico than any other year in history.”
Critics point out that these figures also apply under the Biden administration, which has seen years of record border conflicts far exceeding anything seen under the Trump administration. As the crisis continues, millions of people have been released into the US, and the number of undetained illegal immigrants recently hit the 7 million mark.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are intentionally dismantling immigration enforcement as they continue to falsify the data and mislead the American people while illegal immigrants continue to roam the country and commit heinous, preventable crimes,” Joe Edlow, a former Trump administration official and NICE advisory board member, told Fox News Digital. “The Biden-Harris deportation numbers reported in the media are mostly deportations, meaning immigrants left voluntarily at the border without receiving a formal deportation order.”
“As this comparison clearly shows, President Trump has increasingly deported illegal immigrants, primarily criminals, and that effort will certainly be expanded and properly implemented under his leadership. American communities will be safe again and our borders will be secure.”
President Biden walks along the US-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
But the high overall deportation numbers underpin the Biden administration’s broader claim that it has successfully addressed the ongoing crisis at the border. The administration recently highlighted figures showing that interactions with migrants fell by more than 55% in the weeks after an executive order was issued in June further restricting asylum applications.
“We’re also securing our border, with fewer people crossing the border than when the last administration left office,” Biden said in an address to the nation.
Other Democrats have argued that the border issue is resolved, especially given Vice President Harris’ role in discussions with international partners about its root causes.
For more coverage on the border security crisis, click here
“There are fewer migrants crossing the border, and one of the reasons is that her job is diplomacy, and she’s done a lot of work in other countries to stop migrants coming in,” former White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri told Politico. “And the numbers are going down.”
It’s an argument that conservatives, including Republicans in Congress, are pushing back against. House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green told Fox News Digital that despite efforts by the media to exonerate President Biden and Border Force Chief Kamala Harris from their dismal track record on immigration, the facts will not allow it.
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“The numbers are clear: The Biden-Harris Administration has eviscerated domestic law enforcement, making it nearly impossible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to detain and deport illegal immigrants. One federal court even ruled that guidelines put in place by the Department of Homeland Security on their watch were based on the premise that agents should not enforce the law,” he said. “Biden and Harris have sent a clear signal to the world: if you enter the country illegally, you will probably be released and, as the Department of Homeland Security’s own reports document, you will almost certainly remain in the country.”
