The number of deportations in the United States in 2024 has reached a record high, surpassing the height of Trump’s first term

The United States deported more than 271,000 undocumented immigrants last year, the greatest number in nearly a decade.

The number of undocumented immigrants deported by US immigration authorities last year was the highest in nearly a decade, surpassing the benchmark set during Donald Trump’s inaugural term.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency released a report on Thursday that indicates that over 271,000 immigrants were deported from the United States during the previous fiscal year.

The ICE report is released mere weeks before President-elect Trump assumes office, and he intends to establish mass deportation as a fundamental principle of his administration.

President Joe Biden had pledged to halt deportations in 2021; however, his administration ultimately escalated them in response to an increase in border crossings.

In the recently published report, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that the significant increase in deportations during the previous fiscal year was partially due to a more efficient process.

According to the agency, a greater number of deportation flights were directed to destinations that were geographically distant, such as Africa and Asia, which had refrained from accepting US deportations for an extended period.

The majority of the deportations in fiscal year 2024 were of migrants who were apprehended by border officials, as opposed to those who were detained by ICE in the US interior.

Border agents apprehended approximately 82% of the 271,000 immigrants who were deported that year.

The “largest deportation operation in history” is the pledge of President-elect Trump upon his return to office on January 20.

Nevertheless, it is probable that these commitments will encounter substantial financial and logistical obstacles.

Prior to his decisive victory over Biden in November, Trump dedicated a significant amount of time to criticizing the White House’s border policies during his campaign.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition, stated to Reuters that Biden’s deportations were negligible in comparison to the substantial levels of illegal immigration that occurred during his presidency.

“President Trump will address the immigration and national security crisis that Joe Biden initiated by initiating the largest mass deportation of illegal criminals in the history of the United States on the first day in office,” she stated.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of migrant encounters along the US-Mexico border reached a record high in December 2023. However, it has since declined substantially, particularly in the last few months, and is currently at its lowest level since July 2020.

Additionally, the increase in deportations was attributed to the more effective diplomatic efforts that succeeded in persuading countries to accept a greater number of deportees.

Additionally, Mexican authorities have been implementing a more stringent approach to the influx of migrants en route to the United States.

In June, President Biden issued an executive order that significantly restricted asylum. This, in conjunction with Mexico’s assistance, resulted in a reduction in illegal border crossings.

The agency reported that the number of individuals released by the US Border Patrol pending immigration court proceedings has decreased by 70% since that time.