Federal officials say increased deportations, expanded enforcement operations, and voluntary departures have sharply reduced illegal immigration during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Department of Homeland Security says more than three million illegal immigrants have left the United States since President Donald Trump returned to office, with federal officials attributing the decline to aggressive immigration enforcement policies and a large increase in voluntary departures.
According to figures provided by DHS to Fox News, approximately 2.2 million of those departures were classified as “self-deportations,” while roughly 900,000 involved direct removals carried out through Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
“In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations,” a DHS spokesperson said.
The administration has increasingly encouraged voluntary departures through the CBP Home application, a federal platform allowing migrants in the country illegally to coordinate self-removal and departure logistics.
The departure figures coincide with what administration officials describe as a dramatic collapse in illegal border crossings along the southern border.
According to Customs and Border Protection data, Border Patrol agents recorded 8,943 apprehensions at the southwest border during April. Officials said that represented a 94% decline compared to the monthly averages recorded during the Biden administration and a 96% drop from the peak migration levels seen in December 2023.
The administration has credited the decline to tougher asylum restrictions, expanded interior enforcement operations, increased ICE funding, and the elimination of catch-and-release practices that previously allowed many migrants to remain in the country while awaiting immigration proceedings.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently declared that “the days of catch and release are over.”
Federal officials say additional immigration judges are also being added to accelerate removal proceedings and reduce backlogs in the immigration court system.
The Trump administration has repeatedly contrasted the new enforcement numbers with the migration levels seen during President Joe Biden’s administration, during which officials estimated that at least 10 million people entered the country illegally.
Administration officials argue the latest numbers reflect the effects of stricter enforcement priorities, expanded detention operations, and increased pressure on migrants to voluntarily depart before facing formal removal proceedings.
The administration has also continued increasing public messaging campaigns aimed at discouraging illegal immigration and warning migrants already in the country that enforcement operations will continue expanding nationwide.
Original article
Comments