The White House released images on Friday showing illegal immigrants lining up and boarding military planes as part of President Donald Trump’s expedited mass deportation plan.
Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has pledged that the administration’s efforts will constitute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
Federal Workers Protest Trump’s Return-to-Office Order by Boycotting Local Businesses
Historical Context
To keep this in context using Federal data that tracks removals, returns and expulsions former President Barack Obama deported more people in each of his terms than Trump did. He deported over 3 million people.
Over the last four years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported nearly 11 million border encounters nationwide—a number roughly equal to the population of North Carolina, the ninth most populous state in the U.S.
Monthly border encounters peaked in December 2023, with over 370,000 people apprehended. On average, CBP encountered nearly 12,000 individuals daily that month, equivalent to more than eight people per minute.
