ICE reports that deportations rise to a maximum of 10 years

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that they deported 270,000 people to 192 countries during fiscal year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, marking the highest number of deportations since 2014, when ICE reported 315,943 deportations.

The increase in deportations in 2024 also marks a 90% increase from fiscal year 2023 and a 276% increase from 2022.

ICE’s annual report, released Thursday, attributes this to a variety of factors, including an increase in deportation flights, some of which take place on weekends; and simplified travel procedures for those sent to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The highest number of deportations accomplished by ICE during Trump’s first term in the White House was 267,258 in 2019.

ICE reported that of the 271,484 removals, nearly 33 percent of those removed had criminal records. They reported 47,885 assault charges, 16,225 sexual assault or sex-related charges, 10,862 gun crimes and 9,453 robberies.

The number of unaccompanied children removed also increased by 93.3 percent, from 212 in 2023 to 411 in 2024. The number in 2019 was 6,351.

Mexico was the most common destination for deportees, with 87,298 deportations, followed by Guatemala and Honduras, with 66,435 and 45,923 deportations, respectively.

ICE made 113,431 arrests in fiscal year 2024, a 34 percent decrease from 170,590 in 2023.

The agency reported 46,612 arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in November and 56,526 in October alone. This is down from 250,000 arrests in December 2023.

Immigration was a hot topic in the 2024 presidential election, with President-elect Trump promising mass deportations during his time in office. Tom Homan,Donald Trump’sdeclared “czar of the border”, said recently it would take a significant increase in ICE agents to successfully undertake the president-elect’s plans.

“On day one, President Trump will fix the immigration and national security nightmare that Joe Biden created by launching the largest mass deportation of illegal criminals in American history,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, on The Hill.

The Hill has reached out to Biden’s team for comment.

— Updated at 12:19 p.m

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