Trump’s ICE surge nears 200,000 deportations as airlines hide flights from public view
By isabelle // 2025-08-29
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  • President Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown has already resulted in nearly 350,000 federal deportations since January.
  • ICE is on pace to exceed 300,000 deportations this year, the highest since 2014.
  • DHS reports 1.6 million illegal immigrants have self-deported since Trump’s first term, with 17,500 leaving voluntarily this year alone.
  • Despite activist judges and logistical hurdles, ICE is doubling Biden-era arrest rates but still falling short of Trump’s 1 million annual deportation goal.
  • A $75 billion funding boost will expand detention and enforcement, signaling the end of open-border policies under this administration.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a president actually enforces immigration law, look no further than the latest numbers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under President Donald Trump’s second term, ICE has already deported nearly 200,000 people, with total federal deportations across agencies nearing 350,000 since January. That’s not just a policy shift; it’s a full-blown reversal of the open-borders disaster left behind by the Biden administration. And yet, even as deportations surge, the system is fighting back—not just from activist judges, but from airlines now hiding flight data to shield ICE operations from public scrutiny. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are scrambling to track these flights.

A record-breaking pace... with room to grow

According to a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, ICE is on track to surpass 300,000 deportations by the end of fiscal year 2025—a level not seen since 2014 under Barack Obama, when ICE removed 316,000 people. But this time, the effort is part of a broader strategy to dismantle the lawless border policies that allowed millions to pour into the country under Biden. The numbers break down like this:
  • ICE alone: Nearly 200,000 deportations since Trump took office in January
  • CBP (Customs and Border Protection): 132,000 deportations this year
  • Self-deportations: 17,500 (with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem estimating 1.6 million have left voluntarily since Trump’s first inauguration)
  • Total federal deportations so far: Nearly 350,000 and climbing
“In the face of a historic number of injunctions from activist judges, ICE, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard have made historic progress to carry out President Trump’s promise of arresting and deporting illegal aliens who have invaded our country,” the DHS official stated. “Additionally, illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequences.” Yet despite the progress, ICE is still falling short of the White House’s daily arrest goal of 3,000. Current rates hover between 1,000 and 2,000 per day. This may be double Biden’s numbers, but it's not enough to meet Trump’s ambitious target of one million deportations per year.

Airlines hide deportation flights as numbers skyrocket

While the Trump administration pushes forward, airlines are making it harder to track deportation flights. Immigration advocates who once relied on public flight-tracking websites now find themselves blocked—with airlines using dummy call signs and hiding tail numbers to shield ICE operations. Tom Cartwright, a retired J.P. Morgan executive turned immigration advocate, has tracked 1,214 deportation-related flights in July alone—the highest since he began monitoring in 2020. His group, Witness at the Border, recorded 5,962 flights from the start of Trump’s second term through July, marking a 41% increase over the same period in 2024. But now, 40 of the 94 ICE contractor planes they once tracked have disappeared from public databases, thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program. Airlines like GlobalX, Eastern Air Express, and Avelo Airlines—which operate 80% of deportation flights—are exploiting this loophole to keep their movements secret.

A nation reclaiming its borders

Love him or hate him, Trump is delivering on his promise. While the media and the left shriek about “cruelty,” the reality is simple: A nation without borders isn’t a nation at all. With $75 billion in new funding headed to ICE over the next four years, including $45 billion for detention centers and $30 billion for enforcement, the message is clear: The era of open borders is over. Sources for this article include: TheNationalPulse.com APNews.com CNN.com
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