US immigration authorities last year deported the largest number of illegal immigrants in nearly a decade, surpassing the record set by Donald Trump's first term in office.
More than 271,000 immigrants were deported from the United States during the past fiscal year, according to a report released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday.
The ICE report comes just weeks before President-elect Trump, who plans to make mass deportations a cornerstone of his next administration, takes office.
President Joe Biden had pledged in 2021 to temporarily halt deportations, but his administration ended up expanding them after increasing the number of border crossings.
In the newly issued reportImmigration and Customs Enforcement said the sharp rise in deportations last fiscal year was partly the result of a streamlined process.
The agency said more deportation flights were headed to more distant destinations, including Africa and Asia, which have not accepted U.S. deportations for years.
The majority of deportations in fiscal year 2024 involved immigrants apprehended by border officials compared to those detained by ICE in the U.S. interior.
Nearly 82% of the 271,000 immigrants deported that year were apprehended by border agents.
President-elect Trump has vowed to launch “the largest deportation operation in history” when he returns to office on January 20.
However, you are likely to encounter these promises Enormous logistical and financial Challenges.
In the run-up to his decisive victory over Biden in November, Trump spent much of his campaign time attacking the White House's border policies.
Trump transition spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt told Reuters that Biden's deportations were minimal compared to the high levels of illegal immigration during his presidency.
“On Day One, President Trump will fix the immigration and national security nightmare created by Joe Biden by launching the largest mass deportation of illegal criminals in US history,” she said.
The number of migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border reached a record high in December 2023, but has declined significantly, especially in the past few months, and is now at its lowest level since July 2020, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). .
She also attributed the increase in deportations to improved diplomatic efforts to persuade countries to take back more deportees.
Mexican authorities are also increasingly clamping down on the flow of migrants heading north to the US border.
In June, President Biden issued an executive order significantly limiting asylum, which, along with aid to Mexico, has led to a decrease in illegal border crossings.
Since then, the number of individuals released by the U.S. Border Patrol awaiting immigration court proceedings has dropped by 70%, the agency said.
