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, marking a historic escalation in President Trump’s signature immigration crackdown even as voters grapple with increased domestic enforcement. The total number of people deported represents the highest annual figure in history reported by ICE, surpassing the law enforcement agency’s previous record of 442,640 in fiscal year 2025. ICE also reported more than 491,000 immigration arrests during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests, another record, according to DHS. Administrative arrests are those in which suspected undocumented immigrants are arrested for civil violations rather than criminal charges. The records underscore a defining feature of Trump’s second presidency: a sweeping law enforcement campaign reshaped by dramatic immigration policy and the operational expansion of the federal law enforcement footprint in communities far from the border. But they also come at a politically difficult time for Trump. Following sweeping Republican losses in the midterm elections, the president has publicly acknowledged that parts of his deportation campaign may have gone too far. That admission, however, was accompanied by the decision to elevate Stephen Miller, the architect of many of his most restrictive immigration policies, to the position of White House chief of staff. These new figures underscore a tension that is further reflected in American public opinion. CBS News polls have shown widespread support for border security along with growing discomfort with the way immigration laws are being enforced in communities across the country. Behind the record numbers According to DHS, the total of new deportations is about 18% higher than the 409,849 deportations that ICE recorded in fiscal year 2012, during the Obama administration, a long-standing benchmark for the agency. The new record is also nearly 78% higher than the 271,484 deportations recorded in fiscal year 2024, the last full fiscal year under President Biden. ICE reported a total of 50,925 arrests in the month of August alone, eclipsing the previous monthly high set in July. As of September, the agency was still making more than 48,000 arrests a month, according to DHS, reflecting a rapid and sustained pace of law enforcement. Still, a record number of reported deportations does not necessarily mean a record number of formal removal orders executed. ICE deportation figures do not include government-wide statistics, which include actions by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and distinguish between formal deportations, voluntary returns and voluntary departures. Using broader measures, deportations nationwide reached higher thresholds during parts of the early 2000s. A new analysis released Wednesday by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) raised additional questions about how DHS counts deportations. Relying on case-by-case federal immigration records, researchers found that formal deportations accounted for only 63% of deportations in July and August 2026, with the remainder consisting of voluntary departures and returns. “I couldn’t be more proud of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Thursday in a statement accompanying the new numbers. “Fiscal year 2026 saw the highest number of deportations and ICE arrests for any year in ICE history. September 2026 was the best September in ICE history in terms of arrests. The total number of ICE arrests in fiscal year 2026 was more than the three entire fiscal years under Biden combined, as ICE patriots work around the clock to make America safe again. Thank you Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed on the “Worst of the Worst” and a broader reality. The Trump administration has consistently defended its campaign as a public safety mission, boasting of arrests and deportations of people charged or convicted of serious crimes, which DHS has repeatedly described as the “worst of the worst.” 2026, DHS has highlighted several such cases: Raúl Génesis Ortiz Morán, a Mexican national charged with second-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault in connection with the death of a 2-year-old girl in Virginia The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office independently confirmed the charges The department also cited Soili Xiomara Aparicio-Santos, a Honduran citizen deported in April who DHS said was convicted of attempting to murder. his newborn son in New York. The cases illustrate the serious threats to public safety that immigration agents may face, but are not representative of hundreds of thousands of arrests. DHS has repeatedly argued that immigrants without criminal records in the United States may still have criminal records abroad or pose risks to the safety of the public. The department also often points out that immigration law alone justifies civil arrest and deportation. without criminal records in the United States have committed crimes abroad. A CBS News analysis in August found that in July 2026, for the first time during Trump’s second term, more than half of ICE arrests involved immigrants who had no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. That analysis also found that about 6% of people detained by ICE during Trump’s second administration had convictions for violent crimes. 20% of approximately 980,000 deportations carried out collectively by ICE and CBP between January 2025 and July 2026 involved someone with a criminal conviction. Among deported immigrants who had lived in the U.S. for at least two years, 71% had no criminal convictions. Many Americans believe immigration enforcement has gone too far. 2026 midterms, 58% of voters said the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement had gone too far. Another 22% said it had been right, while 20% felt it had not gone far enough. While support for border security remains high, it does not necessarily translate into support for the tactics and operations used to enforce immigration laws in American cities and towns across the country. his immigration crackdown had taken a political toll. “I think it was too harsh,” Trump told “60 Minutes” correspondent Ross Douthat. Trump added that his administration received high marks for securing the border and expelling dangerous criminals, but faced criticism for deporting long-time immigrants who had jobs, worked in industries such as landscaping and hospitality and, in some cases, paid taxes. Trump also expressed interest in working with congressional Democrats in the new Congress to create and pass immigration legislation. immigration, a surprising acknowledgment from a president who built much of his political identity around the promise of mass deportations. ICE officials have been instructed to aim for about 19,000 arrests per week, according to sources familiar with the agency’s planning, a goal set before the midterm elections and substantially above its historical pace. The targets come as Democrats prepare to take control of both houses of Congress in January, and some have expressed support for greater scrutiny of immigration operations. immigration, spending and law enforcement tactics. But its ability to force changes could be limited by the billions already allocated to ICE, in addition to presidential veto power. A sweeping tax and spending bill signed by Trump in July 2025 allocated approximately $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security, including $75 billion in additional funding for ICE. immigration detention capacity, while nearly $30 billion was allocated for arrests, transportation, deportation operations and additional personnel. For years, Trump’s immigration message was based on a premise that resonated with millions of voters: The United States needed to regain control of its border and enforce its immigration laws. But the sharp decline in illegal border crossings and increased ICE enforcement come as the political landscape has also changed. years into his presidency is whether a law enforcement campaign that has reached an unprecedented scale by ICE’s own accounting can tap into the trust of an increasingly divided American public over how the presidential mandate to crack down on immigration is being carried out. Camilo Montoya-Gálvez contributed to this report.
