U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has recently deported over 270,000 individuals to 192 different countries within a 12-month period, marking the highest annual deportation rate in a decade. This information stems from a report released on Thursday, shedding light on the financial and operational obstacles that President-elect Donald Trump will encounter in fulfilling his promise of mass deportations.
ICE, the primary government agency tasked with removing individuals residing in the United States unlawfully, recorded a total of 271,484 deportations in the fiscal year ending on September 30. This figure represents a significant surge from the 142,580 deportations reported during the corresponding period in the previous year. Notably, this recent tally marks ICE’s highest deportation count since 2014 when 315,943 individuals were removed from the country. During Trump’s initial term in office, the peak deportation figure was 267,258 in 2019.
The escalation in deportation activities can be attributed to enhanced deportation flights, some even scheduled on weekends, and streamlined travel procedures for individuals repatriated to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. ICE reported its first substantial flight to China in six years and also included stops in Albania, Angola, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritania, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as part of its deportation operations.
According to the report, Mexico emerged as the most common destination for deportees, with a total of 87,298 individuals sent back, followed by Guatemala (66,435) and Honduras (45,923). The trend suggests that Mexico and Central American countries are likely to continue bearing the brunt of deportations due to their governments’ readiness to accept their citizens and the relative ease of logistics in these areas.
Nevertheless, ICE’s reach has been constrained by limitations in detention space and staffing levels, even as the number of individuals under its monitoring through immigration courts has continued to rise significantly. The agency’s enforcement and removals unit has maintained a relatively stable workforce of around 6,000 officers over the past decade, amidst a quadrupling of its caseload to approximately 8 million individuals.
