DHS touts highest ICE deportations in history, as Mullin says agency has been ‘unleashed’

Immigration officials on Thursday announced a historic milestone, saying arrests and deportations this year reached the highest levels in the agency's history. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that ICE made more than 491,000 arrests, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests, the highest administrative total in agency history.

Record Deportations

ICE also carried out 483,200 deportations this fiscal year, surpassing the previous agency record of 442,640 set the year before. Total arrests exceeded the combined figures for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024 under the Biden administration by nearly 65,000, while deportations nearly matched the combined total for all three full fiscal years under Biden, falling short by fewer than 3,000.

Monthly Records

August 2026 set a new record for arrests, with 50,925, marking the highest number for any single month in ICE history. That pace continued into September, which logged over 48,000 arrests, representing a more than 300% increase over the average September under the previous administration.

Under Trump's leadership, more than 3 million migrants have left the U.S., DHS said. As of October, the administration had deported nearly 1.2 million illegal aliens and arrested more than 1.25 million, according to the department.