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The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Did Barack Obama deport more people than Donald Trump?
The Trump administration's expansion of federal power prompted nationwide protests, which organizers said could have been bolstered by the federal crackdown on the Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Trump has long promised the greatest deportation program in history. How does he compare? Are people protesting more than usual? 'Jaw-dropping' number planned on Trump's birthday Did Obama deport more people than Trump? By annual comparisons, yes. Obama had earned the critical reputation as "deporter in chief," and Trump's first term lagged behind Obama in numbers. Throughout eight years in office, the Obama administration logged more than 3.1 million ICE deportations, according to Syracuse's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. The peak was fiscal year 2012, when more than 407,000 people were removed. By comparison, the first Trump administration maxed out at deporting 269,000 people in 2019, according to the same TRAC data set. Across four years, the Trump administration recorded fewer than 932,000 deportations. How many people has Trump deported in this term? The Trump administration had deported about 200,000 people over four months, border czar Tom Homan said in late May. That is still less than the number of deportations in a similar period under President Joe Biden, which the White House credits to fewer people coming to the border. Trump called on ICE officers in a June 15 Truth Social post to "do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History." Contributing: Lauren Villagran, Bart Jansen, Aysha Bagchi, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @
USA Today
a day ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Did Obama deport more people than Trump? What to know as Trump calls for more ICE arrests
Did Obama deport more people than Trump? What to know as Trump calls for more ICE arrests Show Caption Hide Caption Trump orders ICE more illegal immigration deportations in LA, Chicago President Trump ordered ICE to deliver "the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History" by expanding operations in cities led by Democrats. Former President Barack Obama warned of a "weak commitment" to democracy from President Donald Trump's administration, according to multiple media reports. While Obama didn't mention Trump by name at the June 17 conversation in Connecticut, he said, "those who are in charge of the federal government right now, there is a weak commitment to ... our understanding of how a liberal democracy is supposed to work.' The Trump administration's expansion of federal power prompted nationwide protests, which organizers said could have been bolstered by the federal crackdown on the Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Trump has long promised the greatest deportation program in history. How does he compare? Are people protesting more than usual? 'Jaw-dropping' number planned on Trump's birthday Did Obama deport more people than Trump? By annual comparisons, yes. Obama had earned the critical reputation as "deporter in chief," and Trump's first term lagged behind Obama in numbers. Throughout eight years in office, the Obama administration logged more than 3.1 million ICE deportations, according to Syracuse's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. The peak was fiscal year 2012, when more than 407,000 people were removed. By comparison, the first Trump administration maxed out at deporting 269,000 people in 2019, according to the same TRAC data set. Across four years, the Trump administration recorded fewer than 932,000 deportations. How many people has Trump deported in this term? The Trump administration had deported about 200,000 people over four months, border czar Tom Homan said in late May. That is still less than the number of deportations in a similar period under President Joe Biden, which the White House credits to fewer people coming to the border. Trump called on ICE officers in a June 15 Truth Social post to "do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History." Contributing: Lauren Villagran, Bart Jansen, Aysha Bagchi, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who has been arrested by ICE under Trump?
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump was crystal clear: "On day one, I will launch the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history of America." That promise, opinion polls suggested, proved broadly popular with the American people, including with legal immigrants, who felt that too many people were coming into the country the "wrong way". Since taking office, the president has widened the scope of his mission, targeting not just criminals, but migrant workers, some student activists and even tourists with visa issues. For almost five months, these moves met little resistance. But now parts of Los Angeles have erupted in protests after immigrations officers intensified their raids at workplaces. But who are the migrants caught up in these raids? And who else has the administration targeted? Here's a look at some of the people who have already been targeted. Since assuming office, the president has touted plummeting numbers of border crossings and record arrests under his administration. About 51,000 undocumented migrants were in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention as of early June - the highest on record since September 2019. While accurate and up-to-date figures for the total number of immigration detentions since 20 January are not publicly available, White House officials have said they hope ICE can scale up to 3,000 arrests a day, from 660 or so during the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. Initially, US officials insisted that the operations were "targeted" at criminals and potential public safety threats. But a significant number of undocumented migrants detained by the Trump administration have otherwise clean records, according to one data tracker. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse - a project from Syracuse University that compiles immigration figures - estimates that of the 51,302 people in ICE detention facilities as of 1 June, about 44% had no criminal record aside from entering the US without permission. The unrest in Los Angeles was sparked by a series of immigration arrests that netted a total of 118 people, which the Department of Homeland Security said included five gang members. ICE has characterised those arrested in LA as "the worst of the worst". The agency identified a handful of people with criminal histories, including drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery and alien smuggling. How many of the total have criminal histories, however, is unclear. The parents of a 23-year-old undocumented migrant, a member of Mexico's indigenous Zapotec community, told the Washington Post their son, who they said has no criminal history, was detained outside a clothing store. The BBC cannot independently confirm the details of this case. Border tsar Tom Homan has justified these arrests as "collateral" damage, arguing that agents cannot legally justify encountering undocumented immigrants and not detaining them. Marco Rubio says US revoked at least 300 foreign students' visas Trump revoking protections for Cubans, Haitians and other migrants US deports more alleged gang members to El Salvador There have been several instances of tourists being arrested and held in detention centres, including British, European and Canadian citizens. In April, for example, a 28-year-old Welsh tourist was held for 19 days in an ICE processing centre in Washington state after being denied entry to Canada over what she later termed a "visa mix-up". In another more recent incident in June, 25-year-old Italian citizen Khaby Lame - the world's most popular TikTok star with 162m followers - was detained at Las Vegas' airport for "immigration violations". ICE alleged that Mr Lame overstayed the terms of his visa after having entered the country on 30 April. Authorities later said he was granted "voluntary departure" and left the country. Additionally, in March, Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney was held for nearly two weeks after being detained at the San Ysidro border crossing, where she was attempting to renew her visa to enter the US. She later described the conditions of her detention as inhumane, and described being kept in a concrete cell with no blanket and limited access to a bathroom. She was later released without being charged with any crime. Her case caught the attention of British Columbia Premier David Eby, who said the incident further inflamed Canadian anxieties about travelling to the US. "The nature of our relationship is so fraught right now that this case makes us all wonder, what about our relatives who are working in the States?" he said in a statement to CBC. Others, like 34-year-old German national Fabian Schmidt, were held at airports. Schmidt, who had lived in the US since 2007, was detained on his way into the US from Luxembourg. In an interview with WGBH, a New Hampshire news outlet, Mr Schmidt said he was asked about a drug misdemeanour charge that was later dismissed and a later DUI that resulted in fines and probation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has largely avoided commenting on specific cases, but has repeatedly insisted it is operating lawfully. Some of the most striking images of the Trump administration's immigration overhaul have come from thousands of miles away, in the Central American nation of El Salvador. There, over 250 people who the government claims are members of the gang Tren de Aragua have been transferred to a mega-prison. Family members of some of those men, however, have disputed any gang ties, with some arguing that they were swept up as a result of innocent tattoos. Dubbed "alien enemies", they were removed under a 1798 act that gives authorities sweeping powers to order the detention and deportation of natives or citizens of an "enemy" nation. "It is really disheartening," Adalys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan-American Caucus, an advocacy group, told the BBC. "All of these decisions are inhumane, cruel and also illegal." The most high-profile case is that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old from El Salvador and Maryland resident who was deported from the US in March. Various judges - including those on the US Supreme Court - have ruled that Mr Abrego Garcia was deported in error and that the government should "facilitate" his return to the US and his family. On 6 June, he was returned to the US to face federal criminal charges after being charged in an indictment alleging he illegally transported undocumented migrants while still in the US. Foreign nationals who participate in political protests have also found themselves in the administration's crosshairs, despite some having permanent residency or valid student visas in the US. Anthony Enriquez, who leads advocacy efforts at Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, a non-profit human rights organisation, told the BBC that there have been "more and more" green card holders detained since Trump returned to office. "Immigration authorities feel empowered to conduct arrests that they're legally not allowed to do," he said. Although the reasons for the decisions vary, over 1,600 international students have had their visas revoked, according to Nafsa, an organisation that focuses on international education. Many of the arrests follow the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses, including the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure during Gaza war protests at Columbia University last year. The 30-year-old green card holder has been fighting to stop his deportation in court. Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk also spent six weeks in custody before being released. The university later said that it had been told that Ms Ozturk - a doctorate candidate who participated in pro-Palestinian protests - had had her student visa revoked. She continues to fight her deportation in court. While these cases have been subject to fierce criticism, ICE has justified some of the arrests by saying that the students participated in activities "aligned" to Hamas. "A visa is a privilege not a right," US Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X.
Axios
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Texas is a hot spot for immigration enforcement
Efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive in Texas and other southern states with Democratic-leaning cities, according to an Axios analysis. Why it matters: Harris County saw more immigrants (2,460) ordered removed in March than any other county in the U.S., per data from the nonpartisan Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). The big picture: Axios' review of removal orders, pending deportation cases and agreements between immigration officials and local law enforcement agencies, sheds light on where the Trump administration is dispatching resources to support its mass deportation plan. The analysis shows local law enforcement agencies in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia have been most cooperative with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in rounding up immigrants through deals known as 287(g) agreements. Nationwide, there are 629 of these agreements in place. Over 90 — roughly 14% — are in Texas alone. Harris County does not have a 287(g) agreement, but neighboring Fort Bend and Austin counties have signed on in recent months. State of play: Senate Bill 8, which would require most Texas sheriffs to work with federal immigration authorities, is awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. Trump recently urged leaders of the National Sheriffs' Association to have their members partner with ICE. "We have a limited number of resources at ICE," border czar Tom Homan told Axios. The 287 (g) agreements are "a force multiplier and are going to help us achieve higher numbers." The latest: ICE raids continue in the Houston area. A weeklong operation in early May resulted in over 500 arrests, with at least another 140 reported later that month, per ICE Houston's press release.
Axios
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Virginia is a hot spot for immigration enforcement
Virginia is one of five states where efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive, according to an Axios analysis. Why it matters: Over 2,000 Virginians received removal orders in March, the fifth-highest number nationwide, per data from the nonpartisan Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). By the numbers: Of the 42,000 removals of immigrants ordered in March, over 300 were from the Richmond area, according to an analysis of TRAC data. Richmond had 126, followed by Chesterfield (116) and Henrico (81). And Fairfax County was in the top 10 U.S. localities for most immigrants ordered removed (504). The big picture: Our review of removal orders and agreements between immigration officials and local law enforcement agencies shows where the Trump administration is dispatching resources for mass deportations. Local law enforcement agencies in Virginia, Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have been most cooperative with immigration enforcement in rounding up immigrants through deals known as 287(g) agreements, per our analysis. Virginia has a fraction (over 3%) of the 629 agreements in place nationwide, but it has the fifth-highest number signed or pending. Between the lines: Virginia's 21 signed and pending agreements are still less than 10% of the hundreds of localities and state agencies throughout the commonwealth. Most, except for Loudoun, are concentrated in Republican-leaning counties. Others are among state agencies, including the Virginia Department for Wildlife Resources and the Marine Resources Commission. And some police officials, including Richmond's chief of police, have said they have no interest in signing and potentially undermining the communities' trust. Zoom in: Gov. Youngkin, like governors in other GOP-led states, directed state law enforcement to partner with ICE and assist in arresting immigrants back in February via these agreements. It has since led to a series of high-profile raids, including hundreds in Northern Virginia and a few in an Albemarle courthouse, that have rattled immigrant communities. In February, Virginia also launched the first task force in the country that partners with federal agencies to target illegal immigration and international gangs. In May, Youngkin announced that the task force had arrested over 1,000 alleged unauthorized immigrants within two months. Reality check: Neither Youngkin or federal officials have publicly disclosed who these people are or how they're identifying that they have ties to gangs like MS-13 or Tren de Aragua.
