U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 483,000 illegal aliens in fiscal year 2026, the highest annual total in the agency’s history, according to data released Thursday.
The figure surpasses the previous record of about 442,640 deportations, set by the Trump administration the year before. It also dwarfs deportation totals under former President Joe Biden, who oversaw fewer than 60,000 removals in fiscal year 2021. The 2026 total is roughly equal to three full fiscal years of deportations under Biden combined.
The data released does not break down how many of the removals occurred at the border versus within the U.S. interior.
ICE also set a record for arrests in fiscal year 2026, taking more than 491,000 illegal aliens into custody. Of those, nearly 475,000 were administrative arrests, meaning the individuals were taken into custody for civil immigration violations rather than criminal charges.
In August alone, ICE arrested more than 50,000 people, the highest single-month total in the agency’s history.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited ICE personnel for the numbers.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records,” Mullin said. “Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE’s history.”
Mullin also compared the full-year arrest total to the Biden administration’s record.
“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,” Mullin said. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives.”
Republican lawmakers had sought the data for some time to get a fuller picture of the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
