Immigration agency deports highest numbers since 2014

WASHINGTON — US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 270,000 people to 192 countries over a recent 12-month period, the highest annual tally in a decade, according to a report released on Thursday that illustrated some of the financial and operational challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face to carry out his pledge of mass deportations.

The main government agency, ICE, which is responsible for removing people staying in the country illegally, recorded 271,484 deportations in its fiscal year that ended Sept 30, nearly double from 142,580 in the same period a year earlier.

The figure was the agency's highest deportation count since 2014, when it removed 315,943 people. The highest it reached during Trump's first term in the White House was 267,258 in 2019.

Increased deportation flights, including on weekends, and streamlined travel procedures for people sent to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador fueled the increase, ICE said.

Also Thursday, US Customs and Border Protection said the authorities made 46,612 arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico in November, from 56,526 a month earlier and a record high of 250,000 in December 2023.

Arrests halved when Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders a year ago and by half again when President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June. The November numbers were the lowest since July 2020 and indicated that a widely anticipated spike after Trump was elected president did not happen immediately.

Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Biden's deportations were insignificant compared to the high levels of illegal immigration during his presidency.

"On day one, President Trump will fix the immigration and national security nightmare that Joe Biden created by launching the largest mass deportation operation of illegal criminals in United States history," she said. Over the 12-month period ended Sept 30, Mexico was the most common destination for deportees, followed by Guatemala and Honduras, the ICE report said.

Nations to bear the brunt

Mexico and Central American countries are expected to continue to bear the brunt of deportations, partly because those governments more readily accept their respective citizens than some others and logistics are easier. Still, ICE's detention space and staff limited its reach as the number of people it monitors through immigration courts continued to mushroom.

The agency's enforcement and removals unit has remained steady at about 6,000 officers over the last decade while its caseload has roughly quadrupled to 7.6 million.

Agencies via Xinhua