You’ve seen the headlines, the shouting on cable news, and the wild TikToks of planes taking off. But when you actually sit down to figure out how many people has Trump deported so far, the truth is way messier than a single soundbite.
We’re about a year into his second term now, in early 2026. The dust has settled enough to see the real data, and honestly, the numbers are kind of shocking—not just because of the scale, but because of how people are actually leaving.
The Big Number: 622,000 and Counting
Let’s get the direct answer out of the way first. According to the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released in mid-January 2026, the administration has officially deported about 622,000 people since Inauguration Day in 2025.
That’s a lot. It’s a huge jump compared to previous years. But wait—there’s a massive "but" here. If you listen to the White House or Secretary Kristi Noem, they’ll tell you the total number of "removals" is over 2.5 million.
How do we get from 620k to 2.5 million?
Basically, the administration is leaning hard on something called self-deportation. About 1.9 million people have left the country "voluntarily" since January 2025. The government is counting these as wins. Critics, however, say people are just fleeing because life has become impossible for them here. Between the "CBP Home" app (which actually offered $1,000 and a flight for people to leave before Christmas) and the constant threat of raids, a lot of folks just packed up and walked across the border into Mexico or flew back to Central America on their own dime.
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Why the Numbers Look Different Depending on Who You Ask
Numbers are slippery.
If you look at reports from TRAC (the clearinghouse at Syracuse University), they’ve been tracking a slightly lower "removal" count of about 290,000 through late 2025. Why the discrepancy? It's all about what counts as a "deportation."
- Formal Removals: These are the ones with a judge's order, a plane, and a paper trail.
- Returns: This is when the Border Patrol catches someone and basically says, "Turn around, you’re going back right now."
- Self-Deportations: People leaving under "voluntary departure" or just fleeing the country due to policy changes.
The 622,000 figure is the one that includes the high-intensity ICE operations that started in late January 2025. You might remember those first raids—they hit sanctuary cities like Chicago and Los Angeles almost immediately.
The "Worst of the Worst" vs. Reality
The administration constantly uses the phrase "worst of the worst" to describe who they're going after. And to be fair, they have moved a lot of people with serious criminal records. DHS claims nearly 200,000 of the deportees had charges or convictions for things like assault or homicide.
But if you look at the detention centers right now, the vibe is different.
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By December 2025, there were about 66,000 people in ICE detention—the highest number in U.S. history. Here is the kicker: 73% of them have no criminal record. Wait, what?
Yeah. Because Trump ended the "priority" system from the Biden era, every single undocumented person became a target. It didn't matter if you were a cartel member or a grandmother who overstayed a visa 20 years ago. If ICE found you, you were going in. This led to a 2,450% increase in the arrest of people with zero criminal history.
What’s Happening With TPS?
One of the fastest ways the administration grew the "deportable" population was by ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
TPS was basically a shield for people from countries dealing with wars or natural disasters. In the last year, the administration has systematically stripped that shield away from:
- Haitians (roughly 500,000 people)
- Venezuelans (roughly 600,000 people)
- Somalis (about 700 people—a small but high-profile group)
- People from El Salvador and Nicaragua.
For the Somali community, the deadline is March 17, 2026. After that, they’re legally required to leave. This has created a massive backlog in the courts, even though the administration is trying to use "expedited removal" to skip the legal drama entirely.
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The Financial and Human Cost
It’s not cheap to move this many people. Congress authorized $45 billion for ICE detention through 2029. We're seeing "tent cities" pop up on military bases and old state prisons being reopened just to hold people.
And then there's the human side. There have been reports of dozens of deaths in custody and thousands of people reported "missing" within the system. In Illinois alone, advocates claim nearly 3,000 people have "vanished" after being picked up by ICE, likely moved to remote facilities in other states where they can't get a lawyer.
Is the "Mass Deportation" Plan Working?
If the goal was to reduce the undocumented population, the answer is technically yes. Net migration in 2025 was negative for the first time in 50 years. More people are leaving than coming in.
The White House is even taking a victory lap, claiming this is why housing prices dropped in late 2025 and why blue-collar wages are up. Economists are still arguing about that, though. Some say the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" helped, while others worry the loss of workers is going to cause a massive labor shortage by the end of 2026.
What You Should Do Next
If you or someone you know is worried about the current enforcement landscape, here are the actual steps you need to take:
- Check Your Status: If you had TPS or Humanitarian Parole, those programs are being dismantled. Don't assume your old card is still valid.
- Get a Lawyer Now: The ratio of people being deported directly from custody vs. being released to fight their case has jumped from 1-to-2 to 14-to-1. If you get detained, your chances of getting out on bond are slim to none without immediate legal help.
- Document Everything: Keep records of your time in the U.S., your employment, and any family ties. Even in an era of mass deportation, these are still the best tools for a legal defense.
- Watch the Courts: Many of these orders (like the TPS terminations) are being fought in the Supreme Court. A single ruling in Spring 2026 could pause thousands of deportations.
The situation is moving fast. One day it's a new travel ban on 19 countries, the next it's a raid on a local construction site. Stay informed, stay prepared, and don't rely on rumors.