U.S. Deportations Track at 660,000, 34% Short of Trump Target

The United States was on track for approximately 660,000 deportations in fiscal year 2026, a Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report released in October 2026 found. That figure falls about 34% short of President Donald Trump's stated goal of one million removals annually.

The report, authored by MPI researcher Marc Rosenblum, draws on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Between January 20, 2025, and July 31, 2026, U.S. authorities recorded around 980,000 deportations.

What do the numbers show?

Deportations rose from an annualized rate of 620,000 during Trump's first year in office to about 660,000 in fiscal year 2026, a 26% increase over the average recorded under President Joe Biden from fiscal years 2021 to 2024. The total is high by recent standards but is not a historical record. In fiscal year 2000, under President Bill Clinton, authorities reported approximately 1.86 million deportations.

The MPI applies a broad definition of deportation that includes formal expulsions and certain returns, not only removal orders executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Where were deportees first detained?

Most deportees never reached the interior enforcement pipeline:

• 69% of the 980,000 deportations recorded between January 2025 and July 2026 involved immigrants first detained at the border by border control authorities.
• The share of deportations stemming from arrests inside the United States rose from 28% in 2025 to 39% by July 2026, according to Rosenblum.
• The monthly pace of deportations following domestic arrests grew from an average of 8,000 in the early months of Trump's second term to about 19,000 between May and July 2026.

The report notes that many deported individuals had lived in the country for years, with established family, employment, and community ties that complicate enforcement operations.

What obstacles limited enforcement?

The study identifies several systemic constraints:

• Court backlogs that delay removal proceedings.
• Diverse immigrant nationalities that complicate certain expulsions.
• Difficulty obtaining travel documents or securing cooperation from other governments.

Data availability poses an additional problem. The DHS stopped publishing detailed monthly reports comparing ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detentions and deportations in January 2025, forcing researchers to rely on public information requests and independent sources.

The administration claims that more than three million unauthorized immigrants have left the United States since January 2025 through deportations and voluntary departures. The MPI doubts that figure covers solely undocumented immigrants, citing data limitations and possible inclusion of legally residing individuals.

How are Cuban nationals affected?

An independent estimate suggests approximately 8,500 Cuban citizens were deported during Trump's second term up to August 5, 2026. That count is separate from the 980,000 total deportations analyzed in the MPI study.

What did MPI officials say?

Rosenblum emphasized the need for data publication at a time of significant public investment in deportation operations. Doris Meissner, Director of the U.S. Migration Policy Program at MPI, said the analysis sheds light on the evolution of immigration measures amid heightened public and political focus.

Despite increased arrests in U.S. cities and billions of dollars directed to border control, enforcement has not reached the pace the White House promised. The gap between the 660,000 projected removals and the one-million target now defines the administration's record on its signature immigration pledge.