ICE Deportations and Arrests Hit Record High as Trump Faces Reckoning over Immigration Crackdown
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026, according to new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures obtained by CBS News, marking a historic escalation in President Trump's signature immigration crackdown, even as voters grapple with the increase in interior enforcement.
This total number of individuals deported represents the highest annual figure in ICE's reported history, surpassing the previous record of 442,640 in fiscal year 2025. ICE also reported over 491,000 immigration arrests during the fiscal year ending September 30, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests—another record, according to DHS. Administrative arrests involve alleged undocumented immigrants arrested for civil violations rather than criminal charges.
These records highlight a defining aspect of Mr. Trump's second presidency—a sweeping enforcement campaign reshaped by dramatic immigration policy and the expansion of federal law enforcement into communities far from the border. However, they emerge at a politically charged moment for Mr. Trump.
Following the Republican Party's sweeping losses in the midterm elections, the president has acknowledged that parts of his deportation campaign may have gone too far. Yet, he simultaneously promoted Stephen Miller, the architect of many of his most restrictive immigration policies, to White House chief of staff.
These new figures reflect a growing tension, also evident in American public opinion. CBS News polls have shown widespread support for border security coupled with growing discomfort with the enforcement of immigration laws in communities nationwide.
Behind the Record-Breaking Numbers
According to DHS, the new deportation total is approximately 18% higher than the 409,849 removals ICE recorded in fiscal year 2012, during the Obama administration, a longstanding agency benchmark. The new record is also nearly 78% higher than the 271,484 deportations recorded in fiscal year 2024, the last full fiscal year under President Biden.
ICE reported a total of 50,925 arrests in August alone, surpassing the previous monthly high set in July. By September, the agency was still conducting over 48,000 arrests monthly, according to DHS, indicating a sustained rapid pace of enforcement.
While a record number of reported deportations does not necessarily equate to a record number of formal removal orders, DHS's figures do not include broader nationwide statistics that differentiate between formal removals, voluntary returns, and voluntary departures. According to a new analysis by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), formal removals accounted for just 63% of deportations in July and August 2026, with the rest consisting of voluntary departures and returns.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised ICE's efforts in a statement released on Thursday, saying, "Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE's history. 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... thanks to President Trump's leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens."