Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026, according to new Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News, the highest annual total in the agency's history.
The total exceeded the previous agency record of 442,640 deportations in fiscal year 2025. It was about 18 percent higher than the 409,849 deportations recorded in fiscal year 2012 under President Barack Obama, and nearly 78 percent above the 271,484 reported in fiscal year 2024, the final full fiscal year under President Joe Biden.
ICE also conducted more than 491,000 immigration arrests during the fiscal year that ended September 30, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests involving civil immigration violations. The agency recorded 50,925 arrests in August alone, followed by more than 48,000 in September.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the enforcement campaign and praised the agency's performance. The figures emerged as Democrats push for legislative reforms to immigration enforcement following Republican losses in last week's midterm elections, and as voter opposition to the crackdown grows. The figures do not distinguish consistently between formal removals and voluntary departures: a Wednesday analysis by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse found that formal removals accounted for 63 percent of deportations during July and August.
