Biden deportation data inflated by 'turnarounds' at border, a stat that now masks Trump success

The Biden administration inflated its number of reported deportations by conflating the number of illegal immigrants stopped by border agents before they could get inside the United States. Biden's figures may very well hide the success of Trump's immigration enforcement. 

Trump started his second term notching some early wins on securing the southern border and stemming border crossings to record lows, but at first blush, the rate of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removals appeared to lag behind the Biden administration’s capture rate in its final full year, according to data released by ICE under both administrations. 

A deeper dive into the vast majority of ICE removals under the Biden administration shows that more than 80% were misclassified. They were counted as removals (or deportations), but in fact they were apprehended by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the border and turned back. Called "turnarounds" by CBP agents, they are not considered removals because the aliens are not residing in the interior of the country. 

Biden's ICE was juking the numbers

An analysis of the data shows that Trump's ICE is removing illegal aliens residing in the country’s interior at a rate about five times faster, a significant boost for Trump’s “mass deportations” program.

ICE data published this week shows the administration has arrested 66,463 illegal aliens and removed a total of 65,682 aliens in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. This means the rate of ICE removals under  Trump stands at about 660 deportations per day. 

During the final fiscal year of Joe Biden’s presidency, removals were clocked in at a 10-year high, according to data released by ICE during the prior administration. During fiscal 2024, ICE deported 271,484 aliens at a rate of about 740 per day—outpacing Trump’s first 100 days. That turns out to be a superficial analysis.

More than 80% of the 271,000 deportees reported by the Biden administration were first arrested by CPB did not succeed in crossing the border in the first place. CPB has the authority to detain immigrants within 100-miles of the border, but not within the country’s interior.  That job falls to ICE.

A December 2024 press release from the Biden-era CBP conflated the distinction. It classified these deportations as both “removals and returns,” while the Trump-era ICE press release classified its 65,682 deportations as “removals” only. 

Readjusted for these classifications, Trump’s removal rate of about 650 per day would stack up against a Biden removal rate of roughly 130 per day, nearly five times higher than the record-breaking FY 2024. 

100 Days: Trump's agencies make more than 142,000 deportations and 158,000 arrests  

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, on Tuesday, praised the effort. “We removed over 65,000 illegal aliens to countries across the world,” he said in a press release. 

“We’re just 100 days into this administration and thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is using every tool at its disposal to enforce our country’s immigration laws and protect our communities.”

Homeland Security said on Tuesday that, across the entire administration, including Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and other agencies, deportations have exceeded 142,000 and arrests have exceeded 158,000.

“Deportations have already exceeded 142,000—this is just the beginning. President Trump and Secretary Noem have jump-started an agency that was vilified and barred from doing its job for the last four years,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Just the News.

"In the face of a historic number of injunctions from activist judges, ICE, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard have made historic progress to carryout [sic] President Trump’s promise of arresting and deporting aliens who have invaded our country,”  she continued.

“Additionally, illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequences. Thousands are using the CBP Home App to self-deport. Migrants are now even turning back before they reach our borders—migration through Panama’s Darien Gap is down 99.99%,” she explained.

Border Czar Tom Homan said while he is proud of the administration's early achievement, the effort could vastly improve if Congress appropriate necessary funding.

"Congress needs to get off their ass," Homan told the Just the News, No Noise television show Thursday. "Give us the money we need. And I'm not just talking about Democrats either. I mean, President Trump was elected by the American people, overwhelmingly, and his No. 1 issue is securing the border and running this deportation operation."

700,000 illegal aliens with prior convictions on the streets of America

"We're doing great with the money we have, but we can do a hell of a lot more," Homan said. "We need money for more beds. We need money for transportation. We need money for more officers. We need money for more contract personnel to come in and do jobs that doesn't require a badge and gun. We got badges and guns doing administrative jobs they shouldn't be doing. We need them on the street, Homan continued.

Homan highlighted a major task ahead: "We've got over 700,000 illegal aliens with criminal convictions walking the streets of America. We need money to put more boots on the ground to get the rest of these people," he added.

Illegal border crossings have also declined by about 95% since last year, per administration data, Just the News previously reported. Additionally, Trump immediately reinstated his signature “Remain in Mexico” policy, which Trump implemented during his first term. That policy required immigrants applying for asylum in the United States to wait in Mexico until their immigration court hearing. 

That policy stands in sharp contrast to Biden’s infamous “catch and release” policy. Under his administration, immigration authorities released millions of aliens with either notices to appear at a future court date or with special parole. Precise numbers are hard to obtain because so many aliens fly under the radar, but the Center for Immigration Studies issued a report saying that at least 160,000 failed to return for those court dates in FY 2023, and that last year's number likely exceeded 170,000.

In 2018, the DHS, while under Trump's first term, released a statement headlined: "Unaccompanied Alien Children and Family Units Are Flooding the Border Because of Catch and Release Loopholes." The agency went on to say that "legal loopholes are exploited by minors, family units, and human smugglers, and are a magnet for illegal immigration."

Keeping immigration lawbreakers in custody

Upon taking office this year, Trump issued an executive order directing immigration agencies to keep aliens in custody if they are apprehended for violations of immigration law.

The current arrest data from ICE also paints a good picture for Trump, indicating the administration could ramp up the rate of deportations even further. In FY2024, the Biden administration executed 113,431 total arrests, according to data published by ICE. Yet, in just 100 days, the Trump administration has arrested just over 66,000, doubling that rate. Additionally, three in four arrested aliens have a criminal record, the agency said, living up to the administration’s promise to prioritize dangerous individuals. 

Additionally, around 9,000 individuals have reportedly self-deported from the United States, according to Fox News’ Bill Melugin, in response to a Homeland Security campaign using the repurposed CBP Home mobile app first developed under Biden's administration.

Homeland Security declined to confirm whether Fox News' self-deportation numbers are accurate, but told Just the News “thousands” are using the app “to self-deport.” 

The administration has shown no signs that it plans to slow its deportation efforts, but will need more resources it has so far not received from Congress. Border Czar Tom Homan, who is managing the administration’s border security policies from the White House in collaboration with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, has repeatedly asked for more resources from Congress to ramp up their efforts. 

“I’m happy with the numbers, but I’m not satisfied,” Homan said in his keynote address at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona last month. “We need more, and that's where the budget comes in.”

On Friday, President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget submitted its budget blueprint to Congress outlining its priorities for the upcoming budget reconciliation in the coming months. In that proposal, the Trump administration proposed $175 million for Homeland Security to “fully secure the border.” In addition, the administration requested a 13% increase to defense spending while proposing reductions in spending on education, foreign aid, the environment, health and welfare.