Trump Says He Wants to Deport Millions. Achieving It May Be More Difficult Given Biden's Record on Removals
While Trump criticizes the president for open borders, the Biden-Harris administration has actually expelled a significantly higher number of immigrants compared to Trump's record.
TroibNews 
At the border wall in Tijuana, you can witness deportations in their final stages. Along a Mexican freeway running by the border, there’s a simple metal door. Every morning, a Mexican official unlocks the door from their side, and an American immigration agent does the same from the U.S. side. Once opened, dozens—sometimes hundreds—of people are pushed back into Mexico. Some seek refuge in shelters; others camp just outside the door, hoping proximity might increase their chances of re-entry. This deportation door saw significant use during Donald Trump's presidency, but it's Joe Biden who has utilized it even more.
This fact might surprise those who listened to Trump’s 92-minute speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this month. Trump harshly criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration record, accusing President Biden of opening the border.
“Under the Trump administration, if you came in illegally, you were apprehended immediately and you were deported,” Trump boasted, as convention attendees waved “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” banners. “That’s why, to keep our family safe, the Republican platform promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Biden, recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware, did not respond. Kamala Harris, now a likely Democratic nominee, has notably remained silent on immigration since taking the lead on the ticket. This reticence might be because Harris and Biden’s most robust defense could alienate their liberal supporters. During his 2020 campaign, Biden vowed to halt deportations and even apologized for the Obama-Biden administration's record number of deportations. This means that campaigning in 2024, it’s tricky for either Biden or Harris to mention a simple fact: their administration has deported millions more migrants than Trump’s ever did.
Most Americans are unaware of how many people the Biden-Harris administration has removed, enabling Trump to frequently—and almost gleefully—declare he’ll deport “millions” yearly if he retakes the White House, asserting Biden is too feeble to do so. This feeds into his narrative that Biden is past his prime. If deportations are a gas pedal, Trump has depicted Biden as a sluggish octogenarian, too feeble to drive over 10 mph. The reality is that Biden has that gas pedal nearly floored. Under Biden, migrants have been deported at a rapid pace, straining the country’s deportation infrastructure. It's unclear how Trump could surpass these numbers if he returns to office next year.
Biden began ramping up migrant removals from the onset of his presidency. In the spring of 2021, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, migrants in a Tijuana camp were hopeful the new president would welcome them, even flying “BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT” flags outside their tents. However, most who crossed the border faced a harsh reality: U.S. Border Patrol quickly marched them back through the deportation door to the squalid camps in cartel-controlled areas. Others were swiftly loaded onto ICE planes and flown back to their home countries. As more people crossed the border during Biden’s initial two years, these expulsions accelerated. ICE charter flights crisscrossed the globe frequently. According to Tom Cartwright, a researcher with the advocacy group Witness at the Border, ICE flights increased during Biden’s early years more than ever before.
Biden's expulsion strategy was facilitated by Title 42, a drastic shift in immigration policy over the last 50 years. While President Biden undid many of Trump’s immigration policies, he retained Title 42, the public health statute used as a pretext during the pandemic to expel migrants rapidly without the usual court processes. Just in his first two years, Biden utilized Title 42 to expel over 2.8 million migrants. In contrast, Trump’s administration removed only a total of 2 million throughout his tenure.
However, there’s a key distinction. Although millions of migrants were expelled during Biden’s early presidency, the number of formal deportations actually decreased. Expulsions under Title 42 are a distinct phenomenon from deportations, which require a court order and often involve individuals arrested within the U.S. During Biden’s first two years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported less than 200,000 people total—the lowest in any single year of the Trump era.
This reduction might suggest Biden’s reluctance to deport immigrants. The administration may have been more comfortable expelling recent arrivals but hesitant to deport long-term residents. This caution probably contributed to the reduction in deportations during Biden’s early years. Another factor was the reallocation of ICE resources to assist Border Patrol with the influx of new arrivals, diverting effort from interior arrests. Additionally, ICE Air flights focused on transporting recent border crossers, leaving little room for other deportees.
When Title 42 ended in May 2023, deportations soared to record levels. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Biden “removed or returned” 775,000 unauthorized immigrants from May 2023 to May 2024, more than any previous year since 2010. For comparison, Trump’s highest annual removals were under 612,000 despite Title 42.
Even if Trump returns to office and attempts to increase deportations, the system’s constraints might impede him. The deportation infrastructure’s current capacity may limit further increases.
“Regardless of who is in charge, there are just some structural limitations in the system,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration nonprofit. Reichlin-Melnick has analyzed immigration enforcement data across different administrations, noting that monthly deportations have remained consistently around 30,000, suggesting a system's peak capacity.
Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security under Obama, emphasized ICE’s limited resources. "There’s the basic problem of resources,” Johnson said. “Congress has to agree to appropriate the money for the resources — the people, the facilities and the like.”
Deporting individuals is costly and complex, involving locating and arresting people, with ICE supervising only a small fraction of the undocumented population. Biden (like Obama before him) prioritized removing dangerous individuals, rather than arresting as many immigrants as possible like Trump's administration.
The second issue is detaining those arrested. ICE is funded to detain an average of 34,000 migrants daily, with physical space constraints limiting more. Detentions can last long due to lengthy legal processes and a court backlog of over 3 million cases. Additionally, a substantial portion of the undocumented population is underage, complicating detainment.
Thirdly, even with a deportation order, transporting people out of the country presents challenges. While deportations to Mexico happen via bus, other countries require flights. ICE’s fleet is limited, and logistical constraints, such as a nationwide pilot shortage, exacerbate the situation.
Lastly, obtaining approval from foreign countries to accept deportees can be difficult. Some countries, like Venezuela, refuse to accept their nationals, while others, like Brazil, impose stringent requirements. Yet, Biden’s administration has negotiated with historically uncooperative countries, including Cuba and China, achieving deportations to over 170 nations.
Trump’s vision of transforming the U.S. immigration system includes drastic measures. “As President Trump has said, the millions of illegals Biden has resettled across America should not get comfortable because very soon they will be going home,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign national press secretary. On the campaign trail, Trump suggested using the National Guard for mass deportation camps and military planes for transport, though funding details remain vague.
Johnson highlighted the logistical challenges, including the time required to train new ICE agents and the impracticality of using the National Guard for deportation tasks. “It’s something that takes training and skill,” Johnson pointed out.
Despite some Americans’ support for mass deportations, the complexities might temper enthusiasm for actual implementation. “Saying ‘mass deportations’ is a bumper sticker, a rallying cry,” Johnson concluded. “It’s the equivalent in the level of seriousness with ‘Defund the Police.’”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
This fact might surprise those who listened to Trump’s 92-minute speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this month. Trump harshly criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration record, accusing President Biden of opening the border.
“Under the Trump administration, if you came in illegally, you were apprehended immediately and you were deported,” Trump boasted, as convention attendees waved “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” banners. “That’s why, to keep our family safe, the Republican platform promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Biden, recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware, did not respond. Kamala Harris, now a likely Democratic nominee, has notably remained silent on immigration since taking the lead on the ticket. This reticence might be because Harris and Biden’s most robust defense could alienate their liberal supporters. During his 2020 campaign, Biden vowed to halt deportations and even apologized for the Obama-Biden administration's record number of deportations. This means that campaigning in 2024, it’s tricky for either Biden or Harris to mention a simple fact: their administration has deported millions more migrants than Trump’s ever did.
Most Americans are unaware of how many people the Biden-Harris administration has removed, enabling Trump to frequently—and almost gleefully—declare he’ll deport “millions” yearly if he retakes the White House, asserting Biden is too feeble to do so. This feeds into his narrative that Biden is past his prime. If deportations are a gas pedal, Trump has depicted Biden as a sluggish octogenarian, too feeble to drive over 10 mph. The reality is that Biden has that gas pedal nearly floored. Under Biden, migrants have been deported at a rapid pace, straining the country’s deportation infrastructure. It's unclear how Trump could surpass these numbers if he returns to office next year.
Biden began ramping up migrant removals from the onset of his presidency. In the spring of 2021, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, migrants in a Tijuana camp were hopeful the new president would welcome them, even flying “BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT” flags outside their tents. However, most who crossed the border faced a harsh reality: U.S. Border Patrol quickly marched them back through the deportation door to the squalid camps in cartel-controlled areas. Others were swiftly loaded onto ICE planes and flown back to their home countries. As more people crossed the border during Biden’s initial two years, these expulsions accelerated. ICE charter flights crisscrossed the globe frequently. According to Tom Cartwright, a researcher with the advocacy group Witness at the Border, ICE flights increased during Biden’s early years more than ever before.
Biden's expulsion strategy was facilitated by Title 42, a drastic shift in immigration policy over the last 50 years. While President Biden undid many of Trump’s immigration policies, he retained Title 42, the public health statute used as a pretext during the pandemic to expel migrants rapidly without the usual court processes. Just in his first two years, Biden utilized Title 42 to expel over 2.8 million migrants. In contrast, Trump’s administration removed only a total of 2 million throughout his tenure.
However, there’s a key distinction. Although millions of migrants were expelled during Biden’s early presidency, the number of formal deportations actually decreased. Expulsions under Title 42 are a distinct phenomenon from deportations, which require a court order and often involve individuals arrested within the U.S. During Biden’s first two years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported less than 200,000 people total—the lowest in any single year of the Trump era.
This reduction might suggest Biden’s reluctance to deport immigrants. The administration may have been more comfortable expelling recent arrivals but hesitant to deport long-term residents. This caution probably contributed to the reduction in deportations during Biden’s early years. Another factor was the reallocation of ICE resources to assist Border Patrol with the influx of new arrivals, diverting effort from interior arrests. Additionally, ICE Air flights focused on transporting recent border crossers, leaving little room for other deportees.
When Title 42 ended in May 2023, deportations soared to record levels. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Biden “removed or returned” 775,000 unauthorized immigrants from May 2023 to May 2024, more than any previous year since 2010. For comparison, Trump’s highest annual removals were under 612,000 despite Title 42.
Even if Trump returns to office and attempts to increase deportations, the system’s constraints might impede him. The deportation infrastructure’s current capacity may limit further increases.
“Regardless of who is in charge, there are just some structural limitations in the system,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration nonprofit. Reichlin-Melnick has analyzed immigration enforcement data across different administrations, noting that monthly deportations have remained consistently around 30,000, suggesting a system's peak capacity.
Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security under Obama, emphasized ICE’s limited resources. "There’s the basic problem of resources,” Johnson said. “Congress has to agree to appropriate the money for the resources — the people, the facilities and the like.”
Deporting individuals is costly and complex, involving locating and arresting people, with ICE supervising only a small fraction of the undocumented population. Biden (like Obama before him) prioritized removing dangerous individuals, rather than arresting as many immigrants as possible like Trump's administration.
The second issue is detaining those arrested. ICE is funded to detain an average of 34,000 migrants daily, with physical space constraints limiting more. Detentions can last long due to lengthy legal processes and a court backlog of over 3 million cases. Additionally, a substantial portion of the undocumented population is underage, complicating detainment.
Thirdly, even with a deportation order, transporting people out of the country presents challenges. While deportations to Mexico happen via bus, other countries require flights. ICE’s fleet is limited, and logistical constraints, such as a nationwide pilot shortage, exacerbate the situation.
Lastly, obtaining approval from foreign countries to accept deportees can be difficult. Some countries, like Venezuela, refuse to accept their nationals, while others, like Brazil, impose stringent requirements. Yet, Biden’s administration has negotiated with historically uncooperative countries, including Cuba and China, achieving deportations to over 170 nations.
Trump’s vision of transforming the U.S. immigration system includes drastic measures. “As President Trump has said, the millions of illegals Biden has resettled across America should not get comfortable because very soon they will be going home,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign national press secretary. On the campaign trail, Trump suggested using the National Guard for mass deportation camps and military planes for transport, though funding details remain vague.
Johnson highlighted the logistical challenges, including the time required to train new ICE agents and the impracticality of using the National Guard for deportation tasks. “It’s something that takes training and skill,” Johnson pointed out.
Despite some Americans’ support for mass deportations, the complexities might temper enthusiasm for actual implementation. “Saying ‘mass deportations’ is a bumper sticker, a rallying cry,” Johnson concluded. “It’s the equivalent in the level of seriousness with ‘Defund the Police.’”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
