The number of deportations of immigrants in the United States has reached its highest level since 2014, according to a report released by the U.S. government on Thursday.
This increase is part of a broader push by outgoing President Joe Biden to reduce illegal immigration.
According to the annual report from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), approximately 271,000 immigrants were deported to 192 countries in fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023, and will end on September 30, 2024.
Government statistics show that this is the highest number of deportations since President Biden took office in 2021 and higher than any year during the first term of President-elect Donald Trump, from 2017 to 2021.
Biden assumed office with a promise to roll back Trump-era restrictive immigration policies, but he has struggled with high levels of illegal immigration and has gradually toughened his stance.
Meanwhile, Trump won a second term in the White House in November, pledging to deport a record number of illegal immigrants as part of a broader crackdown on immigration.
Trump’s transition spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement that Biden’s deportations were insignificant compared to the high levels of illegal immigration during his presidency.
Around 11 million immigrants were either undocumented or had temporary protection status in 2022, according to government and expert group estimates. Some analysts say this number may be as high as 13 to 14 million, reports VOA.
