Washington: Donald Trump’s administration deported 37,660 immigrants in its first month in office. While this is a large number, it is lower than the monthly average seen in the last year of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showed that around 57,000 people were either removed or returned each month during Biden’s final year in office. These high numbers were largely due to a sharp increase in illegal border crossings, which made it easier for authorities to deport migrants.
During his election campaign, Trump had promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history, targeting millions of undocumented immigrants. However, early figures indicated that it may be difficult for him to reach Biden-era deportation levels.
Trump administration plans to increase deportations
A senior official from Trump’s administration said that deportations will likely rise in the coming months as new policies make it easier to arrest and remove illegal migrants. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that the high deportation numbers under Biden were due to a surge in illegal crossings, which artificially increased the numbers.
To speed up the deportation process, the Trump administration secured agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica to take in deported migrants from other countries, as reported by news agency Reuters. Officials believe this will help in removing more people from the US.
Deportation under Trump’s second term
Since Trump returned to office on January 20, the US military has assisted in over a dozen deportation flights to countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and India. Additionally, some Venezuelan migrants have been sent to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
In late January, Trump announced plans to detain up to 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay, despite opposition from human rights groups. His administration is also working to remove restrictions that previously made it harder to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants who do not have criminal records.
Last month, the Justice Department issued a memo reversing a Biden-era policy that limited immigration arrests at U.S. courts. This change allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to arrest migrants attending their immigration hearings.
