How many people are deported from the US each year?
1.1 million in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, the broader term "repatriation" 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 March 2024,
214K
people were repatriated from the US in 2024
In 2023, the most recent year of data, the US made 1.1 million repatriations. There were about 74,600 repatriations in March 2024, making the 2024 total thus far approximately 214,000. March 2024 repatriations were 49% lower than in March 2022 but 59% higher than in March 2019.
There have been about 214,000 repatriations in 2024 though March 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 40,100 monthly repatriations, on average between October 2014 and the COVID-19 public health emergency beginning in March 2020. Expulsions during the public health emergency rose the monthly average to 104,600, more than double the pre-pandemic average. After the public health emergency (and related expulsions) concluded in May 2023, total repatriations were 79% 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 March 2024, there were about 30,360 removals from the US. This was 141% higher than in the same month the year prior (2023), and 8% lower than the same month in 2019. As of March, 2024 had 87,460 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
