Trump’s Mass Deportations: Tough Policy or Common Sense?

Trump promised the “largest deportation of U.S. history” for his second term. He’d already supported policies of this kind during his presidency.

People on the left called his deportation policies extreme, while many of his supporters saw them as necessary to protect American jobs and communities. So, was Trump’s approach really that radical, or was it just enforcing the rules we already had? Let’s break it down under the light of his second term.

How Will Trump Enforce the Largest Mass Deportation in U.S. History?

Trump has vowed to use the military to lead the mass deportation because he’d call the situation a national emergency and that would allow him to summon them up.

In the administrative sense, Trump announced he would make Tom Homan his “border czar” overseeing the north and south U.S. borders. Homan led ICE temporarily for about a year and a half during his first term. Trump has said that Mexico and Canada will face higher tariffs if they don’t comply with certain deportation charges from this so-called “czar.”

Trump will also call up Stephen Miller, a hardliner who is considered the author of what legacy media called the “Muslim travel ban.” This was actually a travel ban for certain foreign nationals of certain countries, and it was not a “Muslim” travel ban. It’s true that plenty of countries off Trump’s list were Islamic countries, but the way the legacy media labeled it made it look like a ban on every Muslim, which makes no sense, considering some notable Americans, and we’re thinking of Muhammad Ali, are or were Muslims.

Stephen Miller is also considered the ideologue of the contentious policy that has divided thousands of children from their parents. Considering that conservative values still consider family to be a crucial component of society, separating children from families during deportations was certainly a misguided initiative that the new administration won’t probably repeat.

Governon Kristi Noem was also tapped to lead Homeland Security. Noem was initially considered to be Trump’s vice-president pick. And even if she’s the South Dakota governor, she has sent National Guard troops to the Mexico border a few times recently.

How many migrants will be deported under Trump?

There are around 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States. One of the most-deporting administrations was Obama’s (we’ll talk about that later), and its record-breaking figures weren’t even close to 11 million. So to make it “the largest deportation in U.S. history,” Trump would have to deport around 2.7 million people during his second tenure, which is logistically overwhelming. That would place him first on the list.

Now, how did deportations pan out in his past administration?

Were There Really “Mass Deportations” Under Trump?

When people hear “mass deportations,” they often imagine the government going all out and deporting millions of illegal immigrants without a compelling case. They also think only onde side does it. But the truth is a bit different. Believe it or not, President Obama deported far more people than President Trump. During Obama’s two terms, his administration deported 5.3 million illegal immigrants. Yes, you read that right—Obama earned the nickname “Deporter-in-Chief” for a reason.

In just Obama’s first term, his Department of Homeland Security deported and returned over 3.1 million people, compared to Trump’s 1.8 million during his first term. That’s a full million fewer under Trump. Obama even set a record in 2012 with over 400,000 deportations in a single year. Trump, by contrast, averaged around 267,000 deportations annually. So, if we’re looking strictly at the numbers, Trump didn’t come close to Obama’s deportation record.

So why do people act like Trump’s policies were such a big deal? It wasn’t about the numbers—it was about who was being deported. Under Obama, the priority was deporting convicted criminals or those considered a threat to public safety. Trump’s administration, however, took a more straightforward approach: If you were here illegally, you were breaking the law, and the law would be enforced. No exceptions. That meant even people who had been in the U.S. for years could be deported, which created a lot of fear and controversy.

Tough Talk and Tougher Policies

So, let’s be real: A lot of the outrage about Trump’s immigration policies came from the way he talked about them. During his campaigns and presidency, he used strong language and called illegal immigration a source of crime and other problems. That kind of talk fired up his base but made his critics call him harsh and even racist. Trump wasn’t the first president to enforce immigration laws, but his tough talk made it sound like he was doing something completely new. 

Comparing Deportation Numbers for Trump and Biden

Now, here’s an interesting twist: Under President Biden, deportations started off lower but recently shot back up. In fiscal year 2024 alone, there were over 700,000 deportations and returns, the highest number since 2010. It’s clear that enforcing immigration laws isn’t just a Trump thing—it’s something every administration has had to deal with, even if they don’t like to admit it.

The bottom line? Trump’s policies weren’t about breaking records—they were about changing priorities and sticking to the rule of law. Unlike Obama, Trump didn’t just pick and choose who to deport. He made it clear: If you’re here illegally, you’re breaking the law, and the law will be enforced. For his supporters, that wasn’t extreme—it was long overdue. And judging by the numbers we’re seeing today, it’s obvious the immigration system still needs serious fixing.

Why Trump’s Approach Resonated

For many Americans, especially Trump’s supporters, his immigration policies weren’t about targeting people—they were about fairness and protecting American interests. Illegal immigration creates real problems, from job competition to increased pressure on public services like schools and hospitals. Enforcing immigration laws is about making sure that everyone plays by the same rules.

Trump’s “America First” message resonated with people who felt like the government had been ignoring the problem for too long. When he made cracking down on illegal immigration a central issue of his platform, Trump sent a clear message: The U.S. is a country of laws, and those laws will be respected.

Critics to Past Deportation Policies

Of course, not everyone agreed with Trump’s approach. Critics claimed his policies were unnecessarily harsh and created fear among immigrant communities. But here’s the thing: The immigration system is broken, and that’s something both sides agree on. The disagreement is over how to fix it.

Here’s something else to consider: Democrats often present themselves as champions of immigrants, but their record tells a different story. While they publicly criticize strong enforcement policies, they’ve quietly carried out deportations on a massive scale when in power. Take Obama, for example—he deported millions, more than Trump, yet the left rarely criticizes him for it. Even under Biden, deportation numbers climbed back up, with over 700,000 deportations and returns in FY2024 alone. For all their talk of compassion, Democrats seem more interested in dodging accountability for their actions than fixing the problem.

Trump’s policies may have been tough, but at least they were honest. He didn’t pretend to be soft on immigration while quietly enforcing the same laws. He forced the country to confront these questions head-on, and for his supporters, that was a step in the right direction. At least with Trump, what you saw was what you got.

Maybe the most controversial or worst part about Trump’s immigration plan was when children were separated from their families. The government estimates that more than 1400 kids are yet to be reunited with their families after the government detached them during deportations.

Why Trump’s Deportations Could Be the Fairest

At the end of the day, Trump’s deportation policies were both tough and divisive. They weren’t as radical as some people claimed—Obama deported more people overall—but they were stricter in terms of who got targeted. It’s true: Separating children from their parents was not a humane gesture, but the incoming administration has already taken steps to rectify that issue. 

Whether you see that as a good thing or not probably depends on how you feel about illegal immigration. For Trump supporters, his stance on immigration wasn’t, and isn’t, extreme—it was just plain common sense. It was about putting Americans first, and that’s a message that still rings true today.

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