For nearly two decades, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has remained largely unchanged—hovering around 11 million—despite a succession of Republican and Democratic presidents deploying increasingly aggressive deportation strategies.
Now, President Donald Trump is aiming to break that pattern.
With sweeping executive actions and combative rhetoric, Trump has launched the most expansive deportation effort in modern history. But whether his administration will succeed in reducing the undocumented population remains unclear—even as his crackdown reshapes life for immigrant communities across the country.
A Long History of Enforcement
Under President George W. Bush, federal immigration authorities revived workplace raids as a key tactic. A 2008 operation at a Postville, Iowa meatpacking plant became the largest in U.S. history, with 900 agents arresting nearly 400 workers—mostly Latino—many of whom were shackled and charged with identity fraud before being deported.
Bush also launched the Secure Communities program, which enabled local law enforcement to share fingerprint data with ICE. By the end of his presidency, 2 million immigrants had been deported.
President Barack Obama initially expanded Secure Communities but narrowed its scope to focus on immigrants convicted of serious crimes. Still, his administration deported a record 400,000 people in 2013 alone. Despite his signature DACA program, which shielded hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth from removal, critics dubbed Obama the “Deporter-in-Chief.” Overall, nearly 3 million noncitizens were deported during his tenure.
Trump’s First Term and Biden’s Response
President Trump’s first term marked a sharp departure from his predecessors. He attempted to rescind DACA, enacted the so-called “Muslim ban,” and implemented the Remain in Mexico policy—forcing asylum-seekers to wait south of the border while their claims were processed.
He also invoked Title 42 during the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly expel migrants without allowing them to seek asylum. Trump’s policies slowed legal immigration, but did little to reduce the undocumented population.
President Joe Biden attempted to roll back many of Trump’s measures, halting the border wall, ending workplace raids, and rescinding Title 42. Still, his administration maintained deportation priorities targeting criminals and faced criticism for heavy-handed enforcement, including a viral 2021 incident of Border Patrol officers on horseback confronting Haitian migrants.
By mid-2022, the undocumented population remained at roughly 11 million.
Trump’s Second Term: A New Phase
Since returning to office in 2025, President Trump has taken deportation efforts further than any president before him.
In January, he expanded expedited removal to allow ICE agents to arrest and deport any undocumented immigrant anywhere in the U.S.—not just near the border. In March, he used the rarely invoked Alien Enemies Act to order the deportation of Venezuelan gang members, declaring them a national security threat.
In June, citing an “invasion,” Trump deployed the military to Los Angeles to aid immigration enforcement. He also signed an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented parents—a move now facing legal challenges in federal court.
Arrests Spike, Deportations Lag
While arrests are rising—ICE detained nearly 30,000 people in June, the highest monthly total in over five years—actual deportations remain far below Obama-era levels. Roughly 18,000 people were deported that month, compared to more than 400,000 in 2013.
The growing gap between arrests and deportations highlights the logistical, legal, and political obstacles facing Trump’s ambitious deportation campaign.
The Bigger Picture
People often come to the U.S. fleeing violence, disaster, or poverty. Yet, no modern president has meaningfully addressed these root causes. Until they are, experts say, the undocumented population will likely remain in the millions—regardless of how many are arrested or how tough the rhetoric becomes.
