The U.S. Department of Homeland Security oversaw approximately 980,000 deportations during the first 18 months of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to a report published Thursday by the Migration Policy Institute.
The report found that people with criminal convictions accounted for only about 20% of those deported during the period. It also noted that 71% of immigrants who had lived in the United States for two years or longer had no criminal convictions.
The report was prepared by Mark Rosenblum, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics. It highlighted an annualized deportation rate higher than those recorded during Joe Biden’s presidency and Trump’s first term.
Trump has said his administration’s intensified immigration enforcement and deportation campaign is intended to strengthen domestic security. Human rights advocates, however, argue that the measures undermine due process, restrict freedom of expression and create an atmosphere of insecurity, particularly for racial minorities.
On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced that more than 300,000 visas had been revoked during Trump’s second term.
Cases that drew criticism from human rights organizations included the revocation of visas belonging to foreign nationals who participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, as well as individuals over social media comments concerning the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The Trump administration’s deportation policies have faced numerous legal challenges, with courts reaching varying outcomes.
