A numerical review cited by the New York Post compares arrest volumes, error rates, detention deaths, and mistaken deportations under Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, concluding that ICE performance metrics were lower under Trump despite higher enforcement activity.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A statistical comparison of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity under Donald Trump and Barack Obama shows lower rates of mistaken detentions, deaths in custody, and erroneous deportations during Trump’s current administration, according to a report published by the New York Post.
The analysis was published as debate intensified over ICE enforcement following a White House press briefing in which reporter Niall Stanage challenged press secretary Karoline Leavitt over agency conduct. Stanage cited figures claiming that “32 people died in ICE custody last year,” that 170 U.S. citizens were detained by ICE, and referenced the fatal shooting of Renee Good, questioning whether those outcomes were consistent with lawful enforcement.
The Post report states that media coverage has increasingly portrayed ICE as operating recklessly under Trump, citing recent reporting that alleged U.S. citizens are frequently mistaken for illegal immigrants and that immigration agencies have a history of rights violations. The article argues that publicly available numbers do not support that portrayal.
According to the figures cited, between Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025, inauguration and the end of November, ICE arrested 595,000 illegal aliens and deported 605,000. Of the 170 U.S. citizens detained during that period, the report states that approximately 130 were arrested for interfering with or assaulting officers, citing data attributed to ProPublica. The remaining cases involved about 40 individuals who claimed to be U.S. citizens mistakenly or erroneously detained, with roughly half held for more than one day and most released within hours.
Based on those figures, the report calculates an error rate of approximately 0.0067%, or one wrongful detention for every 14,925 arrests during the Trump administration period reviewed.
The article compares those numbers with ICE data from the final two years of the Obama administration. In fiscal years 2015 and 2016, ICE recorded 263 mistaken arrests, 54 mistaken detentions, and four mistaken removals. During that same period, ICE made 239,645 arrests. Using mistaken detentions alone, the report calculates an error rate of 0.0225%, or one error for every 4,444 arrests, concluding that the overall error rate under Obama was 3.36 times higher than under Trump.
The Post report also addressed deaths in ICE custody, stating that 56 individuals died during Obama’s two terms from 2009 to 2017. While total detention figures for those years were not fully published, the article cites available data showing approximately 498,646 detentions and deportations over five fiscal years, averaging about 99,729 per year. Extrapolating that rate across eight years yields an estimated 797,834 detainees, producing a custody death rate of about 0.007%, or one death for every 14,314 detainees.
By comparison, the article states that the rate last year under Trump was approximately 0.0054%, or one death for every 18,594 detainees.
The report further states that ICE under Trump had no erroneous deportations through November, while ICE under Obama deported two U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2015 and two more in fiscal year 2016.
Polling data cited in the article indicate that public perception has shifted amid heightened media scrutiny. A Quinnipiac University survey found that 57% of Americans disapprove of how ICE enforces immigration laws, while 40% approve. A separate CNN/SSRS poll reported that 51% of adults believe ICE enforcement is making cities less safe.
The Post report links that shift in public sentiment to increased threats against federal immigration personnel. According to figures cited, assaults on immigration officers increased by 1,347% in 2025, while death threats surged by 8,000%. The article also reports a 3,200% increase in vehicle-based attacks against ICE agents and notes that hackers recently leaked personal information, including home addresses, of approximately 4,500 ICE and U.S. Border Patrol employees.
The article concludes by stating that while no law enforcement agency is free from error, the statistical record shows lower error and death rates under Trump compared with the Obama administration, and that failure to contextualize those numbers has contributed to heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement.
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