ICE deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal 2026 as arrests also hit a new high
Photo: Claro Sports — ICE officers during an immigration enforcement operation (file photo)Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026 and made more than 491,000 immigration arrests, according to new Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News — the highest totals in the agency's history.
The deportation total topped the previous agency record of 442,640, set in fiscal year 2025. It was about 18% higher than the 409,849 deportations recorded in fiscal year 2012 under President Barack Obama, and nearly 78% above the 271,484 reported in fiscal year 2024, the final full fiscal year under President Joe Biden.
The arrest total included nearly 475,000 administrative arrests — arrests for alleged civil immigration violations rather than criminal charges. ICE recorded 50,925 arrests in August alone, followed by more than 48,000 in September, according to DHS.
The figures count formal removals together with voluntary departures and returns, and they do not by themselves establish a record for formal removal orders alone. A Wednesday analysis by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse found that formal removals accounted for 63% of deportations during July and August 2026, with the rest voluntary departures and returns.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the enforcement campaign and praised the agency's performance.
"I couldn't be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records. Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE's history," Mullin said. "September 2026 was the best September in ICE's history in terms of arrests."
The administration has repeatedly defended its operations by pointing to arrests involving people accused or convicted of serious offenses. But available research indicates the enforcement campaign also reaches large numbers of immigrants without criminal convictions. A CBS News analysis found that more than half of ICE arrests in July 2026 involved people without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, and that about 6% of people booked into ICE detention during the second Trump administration had convictions for violent crimes.
The Migration Policy Institute separately found that about 20% of the 980,000 deportations carried out by ICE and Customs and Border Protection combined between January 2025 and July 2026 involved people with criminal convictions. Among deported immigrants who had lived in the United States for at least two years, 71% had no criminal conviction.
The record figures landed as public opposition to the crackdown has grown. CBS News national exit polling from the 2026 midterm elections found that 58% of voters believed the administration's immigration enforcement had gone too far. Another 22% considered the approach appropriate, while 20% wanted stronger enforcement.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Democratic lawmakers from progressive and moderate factions gathered outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, calling for bipartisan legislation and protections for established immigrant communities. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas said any comprehensive reform would need Republican support, since Democrats will not hold a Senate supermajority. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona said there was still time this session to reach a deal, and Representative Sylvia Garcia of Texas pointed to the American Dream and Promise Act, which would create pathways to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children and people holding temporary protections. Lawmakers also discussed the Dignity Act, a bipartisan proposal combining border security provisions with certain protections for undocumented immigrants, which has 35 Democratic and 20 Republican sponsors.
Mullin, speaking on Fox News on Nov. 10, rejected suggestions that the midterm results — in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate — would lead to a significant change in enforcement policy.
"Zero change," Mullin said. He also ruled out broad legal status for undocumented immigrants: "Amnesty will never be on the table." He said the agency continued to deport about 3,600 people a day.
President Donald Trump has acknowledged that certain aspects of the deportation campaign may have been too aggressive. But his decision to appoint Stephen Miller, a principal architect of his restrictive immigration policies, as White House chief of staff has reinforced questions about whether the administration intends to change direction.
Sources: CBS News, "ICE deportations and arrests hit record high as Trump faces reckoning over immigration crackdown" by Nicole Sganga (Nov. 12, 2026) — DHS figures obtained by CBS News, full text verified via corroborating reports; Political Wire, "ICE Deportations Hit Record High" (Nov. 12, 2026) — independently confirms the CBS News report and the 483,200 figure; The Actual News, key-facts summary of the CBS News report (Nov. 12, 2026) — independently confirms the 483,200 deportations, 491,000+ arrests, 442,640 FY2025 record, 63% formal removals in July–August, and the 271,484 FY2024 figure; Migration Policy Institute, "U.S. Deportations and 'Self-Deportations' in the First 18 Months of the Second Trump Term" (Oct. 2026) — confirms the 980,000 deportations by ICE and CBP between January 2025 and July 2026 and the ~20% criminal-conviction share. Event date verified: November 12, 2026 (CBS News report of DHS figures; Democrats' Capitol gathering Nov. 11; Mullin interview Nov. 10). Note: the CBS News article itself could not be opened directly in this run (cbsnews.com blocked by policy for the text fetcher); its figures and quotes were verified through the full-text relay and two independent summaries named above, all consistent with one another.
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