ICE Reports 483 Thousand Deportations in Fiscal Year 2026
DHS figures obtained by CBS News show ICE deported about 483 thousand people in fiscal 2026, while 58% of voters say Trump has gone too far.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported more than 483 thousand people in fiscal year 2026, a record under President Donald Trump, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures obtained by CBS News and reported by the Mexican newspaper Excélsior. The previous year’s total was 442 thousand.
At the same time, exit polls cited by CBS News show 58% of voters think Trump’s immigration measures have gone too far.
The numbers behind the record
Besides the deportations, the DHS data show more than 491 thousand immigrant arrests, of which almost 475 thousand were administrative arrests. The Trump administration presents the results as progress on its mass deportation strategy.
According to CBS News, ICE officials have been told to reach 19 thousand arrests every week, about 2 thousand 700 a day. The administration has roughly $170 billion for border security and immigration enforcement, including $75 billion more assigned to ICE.
Stephen Miller, described as one of the main architects of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies, has moved to the post of White House chief of staff. CBS News reports that administration officials do not expect operations to slow after the elections.
Why the count is disputed
An analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University found gaps between the deportations authorities report and the formal removals in federal databases. Formal removals made up only 63% of the deportations counted in July and August of 2026. The rest were voluntary departures and returns.
TRAC also found a decline in formal removals during Trump’s second term. In July there were 26 thousand 908, down 13% from the first full month of his administration. Not everyone counted in the migration statistics left the country through a formal removal procedure.
What it means for the politics
The exit polls put 22% of voters at the view that the government’s actions have been appropriate, and 20% at the view that it has not done enough. The reaction against immigration tactics became a political factor after Republican losses in the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Trump acknowledged part of the cost in an interview with 60 Minutes, saying some measures may have been too harsh, particularly toward people who had lived in the United States for years, held jobs and paid taxes. He also said he is willing to negotiate immigration legislation with Democrats, which contrasts with the mass expulsions he promised in his campaign.
What to watch next
Democrats, who take control of both chambers of Congress in January, are preparing investigations into ICE operations, the use of public funds and conditions in detention centers. That scrutiny could raise pressure on the administration over how deportations are carried out.
Source: excelsior.com.mx
