DefenseCrime

How many people are deported from the US each year?

Data updated November 15, 2024
1.1M in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, a broader term can be used, “repatriation.” This term also includes COVID-19 related expulsions from the US.
In 2023,

1.1M

people were repatriated from the US
In 2023,

25%

fewer repatriations occurred than in 2022
As of June 2024,

411K

people were repatriated from the US in 2024
In 2023, the most recent year of data, the US conducted 1.1M repatriations. There were about 55.6K repatriations in June 2024, making the 2024 total thus far approximately 411K. June 2024 repatriations were 57% lower than in June 2022 but 24% higher than in June 2019.

There have been about 411K repatriations in 2024 through June 2024.

Total monthly repatriations

There are several types of repatriations. They can be:
  • Removals based on an order of removal from an immigration judge. Subsequent reentry can mean administrative or criminal consequences for the offender.
  • Returns, which are not always based on an order of removal and are frequently voluntary.
  • An expulsion based on health risks posed by people during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency (March 2020 to May 2023). The expulsion process does not follow usual legal procedures.

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There were 40.1K monthly repatriations, on average, from October 2014 until the COVID-19 public health emergency began in March 2020. Expulsions during the public health emergency increased the monthly average to 105K, more than double the pre-pandemic average. After the public health emergency (and related expulsions) concluded in May 2023, total repatriations were 75% higher than before the pandemic.

Repatriations remained higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

Monthly repatriations by component

Because returns are mostly voluntary and expulsions only applied under the COVID-19 state of emergency, examining the third category — removals — can provide a snapshot of border enforcement practices and immigration court caseload. The number of removals can fluctuate with travel or border restrictions, operational capabilities, detention capacity, and other factors. Noncitizen removals have risen since the start of 2023, after a pandemic-era dip.
In June 2024, there were about 27.0K removals from the US. This was 28% higher than in the same month the year prior (2023), and 7% lower than the same month in 2019. As of June, 2024 has 177K removals; 80% of those were non-criminal, meaning they did not have a criminal conviction.

In recent years, a majority of total removals have been non-criminal.

Monthly removals by criminality