ICE reports a record 483,200 deportations in fiscal year 2026. Then the DHS Secretary reveals the agency’s new goal
“ICE has been unleashed...”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement reached a new peak in fiscal year 2026, reporting a record 483,200 deportations. This news comes directly from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These numbers represent the highest annual figure in the history of the agency. According to CBS News, the previous record was set just last year in fiscal year 2025, when the agency recorded 442,640 deportations.
The agency also reported more than 491,000 total immigration arrests during the fiscal year that ended September 30. This includes nearly 475,000 administrative arrests. These are cases where individuals are arrested for civil immigration violations instead of criminal charges. This is also a record for the agency. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin discussed these figures on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Mullin said, “Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE’s history. September 2026 was the best September in ICE’s history in terms of arrests. The total number of ICE arrests in Fiscal Year 2026 was more than all three full fiscal years under Biden combined, as the patriots of ICE work around the clock to make America safe again. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives.”
The scale of this enforcement is massive
The 2026 deportation total is about 18% higher than the 409,849 removals recorded in fiscal year 2012. That year served as a long-standing benchmark during the Obama administration. The new record is also nearly 78% higher than the 271,484 deportations seen in fiscal year 2024, which was the final full fiscal year under President Biden.
Still, these records arrive at a complicated time for Trump. He recently faced losses in the midterm elections. In a 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, the president admitted that parts of his immigration campaign may have gone too far. He mentioned that while his administration found success in securing the border and removing criminals, it faced criticism for deporting longtime residents who were employed in sectors like hospitality and landscaping. Some of them even paid taxes.
Despite this acknowledgment, there are no signs that the agency is slowing down. Stephen Miller, known for advocating for aggressive arrest targets, has been named the new White House chief of staff. Sources close to the agency indicate that ICE has been instructed to aim for about 19,000 arrests every single week. This target was set before the midterm elections and stays well above the historical pace.
The funding for these operations is substantial
Newsweek reports that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Trump in July 2025, provided ICE with an additional $75 billion over four years. Of that total, $45 billion went toward expanding detention capacity. Nearly $30 billion was set aside for personnel, transportation, and general enforcement operations. It is important to note that these figures are not without debate.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted on X that comparing removal figures across different administrations can be misleading. He pointed out that the Biden administration carried out more than 2 million expulsions under the Title 42 public health policy. These were classified as expulsions rather than formal removals, so they do not appear in the current DHS removal statistics.
Furthermore, an analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University found that formal removals accounted for only 63% of deportations in July and August 2026. The rest consisted of voluntary departures and returns. There is also public tension regarding the tactics used by the agency. CBS News polling shows that while many Americans support border security, there is growing discomfort with how these laws are carried out in communities across the country.
ICE has faced scrutiny over various issues
These include allegations of racial profiling, aggressive enforcement tactics, and concerns regarding medical care for detainees. Internal agency records have also shown 148 open allegations of misconduct or potential criminal wrongdoing from fiscal years 2023 through 2025. These allegations cover a range of serious issues, including bribery, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
The administration continues to frame its mission as a public safety effort. They frequently highlight the removal of people accused or convicted of serious crimes, referring to them as the “worst of the worst.” DHS has pointed to specific cases to support this, such as a Mexican national charged with murder and sexual assault in Virginia. However, analysts note that these cases do not represent the majority of the hundreds of thousands of people arrested.
Research from the Migration Policy Institute suggests that only about 20% of the nearly 980,000 deportations carried out between January 2025 and July 2026 involved someone with a criminal conviction. Among those who lived in the U.S. for two years or more, 71% had no criminal record.
As the new Congress prepares to take office in January, the enforcement campaign remains a central point of national focus. The president has expressed an interest in working with Democrats on new immigration legislation.
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