US Reports Record 483,200 Deportations in 2026 Amid Congressional Pushback

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (OPA) — The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out 483,200 deportations in 2026, breaking the previous record of 442,640 set in 2025. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that September marked the agency's highest-performing arrest month in history, with more than 48,000 detentions following a summer peak of over 50,000 monthly arrests.

"Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE's history," Mullin said in a statement. President Trump acknowledged in a recent CBS 60 Minutes interview that his administration's immigration enforcement "might be too tough," though he defended his record by emphasizing the removal of criminal offenders alongside workers with legal violations.

The aggressive enforcement measures have generated significant political vulnerability for the White House. Reuters/Ipsos polling indicates Trump's approval rating on immigration has dropped to 38 percent from 50 percent at the beginning of his presidency. Meanwhile, Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, noted that while enforcement has clearly increased out-migration, ambiguity remains regarding the exact distribution of interior enforcement versus border turn-arounds.

Democrats are preparing aggressive oversight when they assume control of congressional committees next year. Representative Bennie Thompson pledged to investigate the administration's Department of Homeland Security tactics, while Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan adopted a harsher tone following fatal enforcement incidents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Administration officials face mounting pressure to narrow enforcement priorities toward violent criminals ahead of the upcoming legislative sessions.