President Donald Trump’s administration is on pace to deport over 400,000 illegal migrants in his first year back in office, according to figures reported by the New York Times. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already deported 180,000 individuals, with current rates approaching 1,500 deportations per day.
The total includes an estimated 150,000 illegal border crossers and interior arrests that have more than tripled since Trump’s return. Many of those deported have no criminal record beyond immigration violations, a move that reflects Trump’s stated goal of restoring order to U.S. immigration policy.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that 1.6 million illegal immigrants have exited the U.S. population within Trump’s first 200 days in office, whether by deportation or voluntary return. She cited improved public safety, lower burdens on schools and hospitals, and rising job opportunities for American workers.
The administration originally set a goal of one million deportations per year. While not yet at that target, officials expect numbers to rise significantly in 2026 as new resources come online. Congress has authorized $150 billion in multi-year funding to support this effort, including expanding detention facilities, processing capacity, and transportation infrastructure.
ICE has doubled its daily use of chartered planes for deportations, flying more than 1,000 missions to countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. Additional capacity may come from a new deportation fleet under consideration.
Trump defended the effort as a long-term win for American workers. He told Breitbart News that fewer low-wage workers will push industries toward automation, boosting productivity and wages. “We’re going to need robots… to make our economy run because we do not have enough people,” he said, adding that streamlined labor will create a more efficient and prosperous economy.
