Immigration: family separations and deportation numbers

In April 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered prosecution of every adult referred for crossing illegally, including parents traveling with children. The children were taken into separate custody. The Justice Department’s inspector general found that senior leaders understood this would separate families and that planning for the children was deficient. [1]

The Health and Human Services inspector general found that thousands of children may have been separated before the official count began, and that the government had no system to track them. GAO found agencies struggled to match children with parents. [2][3]

Supporters note that families were sometimes separated under earlier administrations too. That was in individual cases. The 2018 policy made it routine, and the audits documented the result.

ICE said it had removed 356,389 people in fiscal 2026 as of mid-July. ABC News noted that pace was on track to challenge the record of 438,421 removals set in fiscal 2013, under Obama. [1]

Comparisons are tricky. The Migration Policy Institute points out that administrations count differently: ICE removals, Border Patrol returns at the border, and “self-deportations” are not the same thing, and the totals politicians cite often blend them. Border crossings fell sharply in 2025, which means fewer border removals and more from the interior. [2]