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The number of people removed from the United States reached unprecedented levels in the cycle that began in 2025. Data compiled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) show that the pace of deportation charter flights intensified steadily after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, and that trend remained firm throughout 2026, reshaping the landscape for undocumented communities from dozens of countries.
By the end of 2025, ICE recorded more than 270,000 formal removals, the highest annual volume since 2014. The surge is not the result of a single policy. It reflects a combination of executive orders signed in early 2025, the reinstatement of expedited removal nationwide, the termination of humanitarian parole programs, the expansion of ICE’s operational budget under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the resumption of bilateral agreements enabling charter flights to more than 40 destinations.
The Record by Nationality
According to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, the ICE removal ranking for fiscal year 2025 is dominated by Latin America, but with significant representation from Asian, African, and European countries. The ten most-deported nationalities account for roughly 85% of the total.
Top 10 for fiscal year 2025: Mexico (38%), Honduras (14%), Guatemala (13%), El Salvador (7%), Brazil (4%), Ecuador (3%), Colombia (3%), Nicaragua (2%), Dominican Republic (2%), and Venezuela (2%). Outside this group, notable increases were recorded for nationals of India, China, Romania, Haiti, Senegal, and Mauritania, reflecting new irregular migration routes through the southern border.
The cumulative total from 2021 to 2024, under the Biden administration, was around 760,000 global removals. The current pace suggests the 2025-2028 cycle will surpass 1.2 million removals, reflecting the DHS’s stated priority of increasing daily deportations and its operational target of 1,000 removals per day.
How a Removal Operation Works
ICE is the federal agency responsible for executing removal orders issued by judges at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). After a final order, the foreign national is transferred to a federal detention center or a facility contracted by ICE Air Operations, the division that coordinates air transport from hubs in Alexandria (Louisiana), Mesa (Arizona), and San Antonio (Texas).
Before boarding, the detainee receives Form I-862 (Notice to Appear) or, in cases of expedited removal under INA §235(b)(1), Form I-860 (Notice and Order of Expedited Removal). Expedited removal bypasses a hearing before an immigration judge and can be applied to any foreign national detained anywhere in the country with less than two years of demonstrable presence, a rule expanded by a DHS directive in 2025.
Who Is Primarily Subject to Removal
Operational guidelines published by the DHS in 2025 eliminated the priority hierarchy established by the Mayorkas memo of 2021. Today, any person without legal status can be detained, including those with long-term residence, family ties to US citizens, and no criminal record.
Groups with the greatest immediate exposure include individuals with previously issued final removal orders, people with I-94 violations, former TPS and parole beneficiaries, undocumented individuals detained in ICE and CBP workplace operations, and foreign nationals encountered during regular supervision check-ins. Joint ICE-CBP operations on highways in inland Texas, California, and Georgia have also expanded the reach of arrests.
Detainee Rights and Due Process
Despite the operational intensification, constitutional guarantees and consular treaties remain applicable. Every foreign national detained by ICE has the right to due process under the 5th Amendment, to contact their country’s consulate pursuant to the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and to legal representation by a private attorney, even though there is no right to a public defender in immigration proceedings.
It is possible to request a bond hearing before an immigration judge, except in cases of mandatory detention under INA §236(c). A motion for cancellation of removal, asylum under INA §208, withholding of removal under §241(b)(3), protection under the Convention Against Torture, or adjustment of status when an eligible basis exists may also be filed.
Reopening and Stay Motions
Foreign nationals with old orders may, under specific circumstances, file a motion to reopen with the immigration court or the Board of Immigration Appeals. Changed country conditions, new evidence, or procedural errors can support reopening. A stay of removal request filed with ICE can also temporarily suspend deportation while the motion is under review.
Long-Term Consequences
A formal removal triggers inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(9). A first removal results in a ten-year bar on reentry. Reentry after removal can trigger a permanent bar under §212(a)(9)(C), requiring a complex waiver after ten years outside the US.
To overcome this, the foreign national may file Form I-212 (Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission), in many cases paired with a Form I-601 or I-601A waiver for inadmissibility based on unlawful presence. The analysis is discretionary and requires proof of extreme hardship to a qualifying US-based relative.
Practical Impacts in the Country of Origin
Forced return disrupts professional ties, housing contracts, and support networks built over years. Families face immediate costs related to domestic transport, reissued documentation, mental health access, and reintegration into the labor market. Reception programs vary widely between countries: Mexico and El Salvador maintain structured reception centers, while many African and Caribbean countries have little or no formal network.
For those still in the US, the 2026 landscape underscores the importance of professional immigration assessment. Permanent legal pathways, employment-based visas such as EB-1, EB-2 NIW, and EB-3, family-based visas, asylum, U visa, T visa, and VAWA remain available and can regularize situations that, left in limbo, lead to detention and removal.
Victoria Harper
Editor-in-Chief
Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.
