The Trump administration increased the pace of deportations by 50% in April compared to February, the latest month for which there is data available, NBC News reported on Wednesday.
Concretely, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported over 17,200 in the period, a 50% increased compared to February and 29% more than April of last year. It is the first time in which the Trump administration deports more people than Biden did in 2024.
The outlet noted that the pace is still much lower than what President Donald Trump promised during his campaign and at the beginning of his presidency, when he vowed to remove "millions and millions" of people from the country.
The current pace would clock in at 206,400 deportations a year. Should the figure continue during the rest of his term, the final figure would be less than a million. However, the deportations are largely taking place away from the border, as unlawful crossings have plummeted since Trump took office. Border crossings were down to 7,181 in March 2025, compared to over 137,000 a year earlier.
The administration, however, is pushing and wants to increase figures quickly. Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have reportedly directed immigration officials to target 3,000 arrests per day, Axios reported on Wednesday.
The push reportedly took place during a tense meeting on May 21 at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Miller told field office directors and agents to significantly raise arrest and deportation figures. According to multiple sources cited by the outlet, Miller's tone left some attendees fearing their jobs could be at risk if they failed to meet the target. Noem, while less confrontational, echoed support for expanding enforcement and sought feedback from ICE leadership.
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