In his first month back in office, President Donald Trump deported 37,660 individuals, a figure significantly lower than the monthly average of 57,000 removals during the last full year of President Joe Biden’s administration.
This data, sourced from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), suggests that despite campaign promises of large-scale deportations, the initial numbers under the Trump administration have not met prior benchmarks.
Experts anticipate that deportations will increase in the coming months as the Trump administration implements new strategies to enhance arrest and removal operations. A senior official indicated that agreements with countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica are being established to facilitate the return of deportees from other nations.
Additionally, the U.S. military has conducted over a dozen deportation flights to countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and India. Notably, Venezuelan migrants have been transported to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, with plans to detain up to 30,000 migrants there, despite opposition from civil liberties organizations.
The administration is also broadening its enforcement scope by targeting deportable migrants without criminal records and those with final deportation orders.
The Justice Department recently issued a memorandum permitting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to arrest individuals at U.S. immigration courts, reversing a policy from the previous administration that limited such actions.
Furthermore, the State Department has designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and seven other criminal organizations as terrorist entities, rendering alleged members and associates subject to deportation under U.S. immigration law.
Despite an increase in arrests, with ICE detaining approximately 14,000 individuals in the first three weeks of the Trump administration—double the daily average from the previous year—detention capacity remains a significant constraint.
ICE currently detains around 41,100 individuals, nearing its funded capacity of 41,500. This limitation poses challenges to the administration’s goal of significantly increasing deportation numbers.
In response to these challenges, the Republican-led U.S. Senate recently passed a bill allocating $340 billion over four years for border security, deportations, energy deregulation, and additional military spending. However, internal divisions persist regarding the allocation of these funds, with President Trump advocating for their combination with proposed tax cuts.
As the administration continues to adjust its immigration enforcement policies, the coming months will reveal whether these efforts will result in the anticipated increase in deportations.
The interplay between policy implementation, international cooperation, and logistical constraints will significantly influence the administration’s ability to achieve its stated immigration objectives.
