Immigration officials recently disclosed that enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reached unprecedented levels during Fiscal Year 2026. The agency reported record-setting figures for both arrests and deportations, with arrests exceeding the combined totals of the prior administration’s last three fiscal years and deportations nearly matching them.
Secretary Markwayne Mullin of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) affirmed the milestone. “Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE’s history,” Mullin stated.
He further elaborated on the agency’s performance: “The total number of ICE arrests in Fiscal Year 2026 was more than all three full fiscal years under Biden combined, as the patriots of ICE work around the clock to make America safe again. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives.”
Officials documented over 491,000 arrests throughout the fiscal year, with administrative arrests accounting for nearly 475,000 of these, marking the highest administrative total in the agency’s operational history.
Additionally, ICE conducted 483,200 deportations in Fiscal Year 2026, surpassing the previous agency record of 442,640, which was established just one year prior.
Record-Setting Enforcement Figures
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted that the overall number of arrests in the recently concluded fiscal year surpassed the combined figures from fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 under the previous administration by approximately 65,000.
Similarly, the deportations executed this fiscal year closely approached the aggregate total from all three full fiscal years of the prior administration, falling short by fewer than 3,000, according to departmental data.
The increase was particularly stark when comparing Fiscal Year 2026 to the first fiscal year of the previous presidential term. Arrests were more than six times higher, and deportations showed an even greater surge, exceeding eight times the figures recorded during that initial period.
Monthly Milestones and Cumulative Actions
Secretary Mullin also noted significant monthly achievements, with August 2026 setting a new record for arrests, reaching 50,925 – the highest number ever recorded for a single month in ICE's history.
This heightened pace continued into September, which saw more than 48,000 arrests. This figure represents an increase of over 300% compared to the average September during the preceding administration.
Under the current administration’s tenure, more than 3 million migrants have departed the United States, as reported by DHS.
As of October, the administration’s cumulative enforcement actions include the deportation of nearly 1.2 million individuals identified as illegal aliens and the arrest of over 1.25 million, according to the department’s statistics.
Mullin concluded, expressing his admiration for the agency’s personnel: “I couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records.”
