Migration Policy Institute report finds Trump administration deportation numbers fall short of 1 million target

The federal government is deporting hundreds of thousands of individuals under heightened interior and border enforcement measures, while analysts rely on Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits due to reduced public reporting from immigration agencies.

• •The Migration Policy Institute report estimates the administration is on track to deport about 660,000 people over the past year.
• •The projected deportation total falls short of the 1 million promised by President Trump when Congress approved funding for his immigration crackdown.
• •The Department of Homeland Security carried out 980,000 deportations during the first 18 months of the second Trump administration, according to the analysis.
• •The Trump administration asserts it has removed 1.2 million migrants during his second term, though that figure could not be independently verified.
• •Interior arrests as a percentage of total deportations rose from 28% in 2025 to 39% by July of the following year.
• •Border interceptions accounted for 69% of all deportations between Jan. 20, 2025, and July 31, 2026.
• •Voluntary departures reached an all-time high of 170,000 individuals choosing to give up immigration court cases and leave the country since January 2025.
• •The administration has stopped publicly releasing deportation figures compiled by the Department of Homeland Security, requiring analysts to rely on Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits.