Deportations Up for FY 2018 But Still Lower Than Obama Administration Peak

Deportations are at their highest since President Trump took office, but the annual number still remains lower than the number under the Obama administration, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The United States deported more than 256,000 undocumented immigrants in FY 2018, which ended September 30, 2018, but ICE Deputy Director Ronald Vitello says the number is lower than the peak of the Obama administration’s deportation records.

409,849 people were deported in 2012, according to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations reports. The numbers did drop in 2015 and 2016, dipping to 235,413 and 240,255, respectively.

The 2018 numbers are a 13% increase from FY 2017.

The report from ICE indicates the following:

• 145,262 of those who were deported were convicted criminals
• 22,796 had criminal charges pending against them
• 5,872 were “reported or suspected” gang members
• 42 “were believed to be terrorists
• 2,711 were traveling in families
• 5,571 unaccompanied children were included

The report revealed that the highest number of criminal convictions were due to DUIs and drugs, as well as ‘immigration violations.’

“We’ve continued to achieve gains in all meaningful enforcement measurements,” Vitello said, despite significant underfunding. The strain on resources is a consequence of current border crisis, he said. “With the continued surge and without congressional action to fund the agency at adequate levels, ICE may be forced to make difficult choices that could hamper our ability to fulfill our public safety or national security mission.”

You can read the full report below: