The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded a historic increase in immigration arrests and deportations during the 2026 fiscal year, carrying out more than 491,000 arrests and 483,200 deportations, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The figures, released by DHS, represent the highest annual totals in ICE’s history and exceed the previous deportation record of 442,640 removals recorded in fiscal year 2025.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the agency’s personnel following the announcement, describing the figures as evidence of the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to enforce immigration laws. “I couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records,” Mullin said.
He added that September 2026 had recorded the highest number of arrests for that month in the agency’s history.
The figures reflect a significant expansion of immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, whose administration has made deportations and border security central elements of its domestic policy.
Deportations Surpass Previous Annual Record
ICE carried out 483,200 deportations during FY2026, surpassing the previous record set in FY2025 by more than 40,000 removals.
According to DHS, the latest total was also almost equivalent to the combined 486,000 deportations recorded during the three full fiscal years from 2022 to 2024 under former President Joe Biden.
The department further compared the FY2026 figure with the just over 59,000 deportations recorded in FY2021, describing the latest total as more than eight times higher.
The figures were presented by DHS as evidence of the scale of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
However, comparisons across administrations should be considered alongside differences in enforcement policies, operational capacity and the circumstances affecting migration and removals during each period.
The department also reported that ICE made more than 491,000 immigration arrests during FY2026, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests.
DHS described the administrative arrest figure as the highest in the agency’s history.
The department said the overall arrest total exceeded the combined number of arrests recorded during FY2022, FY2023 and FY2024, which it placed at fewer than 427,000.
It also compared the FY2026 figure with the just over 74,000 arrests recorded during FY2021, saying the latest total was more than six times higher.
The figures indicate a substantial increase in the number of people taken into immigration custody under the current administration.
Administrative arrests are actions taken by immigration authorities under civil immigration law and should be distinguished from criminal arrests.
DHS said ICE recorded more than 48,000 arrests and approximately 44,000 removals during September 2026.
The department described the monthly arrest figure as more than 300 per cent higher than the average September total during the Biden administration.
The latest figures followed several months in which ICE reported successive records for arrests.
August 2026 recorded 50,925 arrests, according to DHS, surpassing the previous monthly record of 50,208 set in July.
June had recorded 43,900 arrests, which the department said was the previous record before the July increase.
The successive monthly figures point to a sustained rise in immigration enforcement activity during the final months of FY2026.
DHS Credits Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy
Mullin attributed the record figures to Trump’s leadership, saying the administration had expanded ICE’s capacity to identify, arrest and remove people it considers to be unlawfully present in the United States.
“Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE’s history. September 2026 was the best September in ICE’s history in terms of arrests.”
Markwayne Mullin
He also said the annual arrest total exceeded the combined figures recorded during the three full fiscal years under Biden. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives,” Mullin added.
DHS separately said that more than three million migrants had left the United States under the Trump administration.
As of October, the department reported that nearly 1.2 million people had been deported and more than 1.25 million arrested.
The department did not provide a breakdown in the supplied figures explaining how the total number of people who had left the country was calculated or how many departures were voluntary.
The announcement highlights the Trump administration’s emphasis on immigration enforcement and its efforts to present deportations and arrests as evidence of progress in implementing its policy agenda.
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