# ICE Says It’s Deporting More Immigrants Than Ever. Many Are Actually Leaving Voluntarily.

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ice-says-its-deporting-more-immigrants-than-ever-many-are-actually-leaving-voluntarily/
- Published: 2026-11-12T20:53:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T21:33:59+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/2026/11/12/ice-says-its-deporting-more-immigrants-than-ever-many-are-actually-leaving-voluntarily/
- Topics: Politics

## Key points

- ICE reported more than 483,000 deportations in FY 2026.
- Voluntary departures and returns made up 37 per cent in July and August.
- The totals include departures that do not involve formal removal orders.

## Summary

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it recorded more than 483,000 deportations in the 2026 financial year, the highest total since 2009. But the figures include people who left voluntarily or turned back at the border, so they do not all represent enforcement operations. The distinction matters because rising departures may reflect immigrants’ fear of the administration’s policies, rather than an increase in agents physically removing people.

Data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse show voluntary departures and returns accounted for 37 per cent of deportations in July and August, up from under 5 per cent in the first three months of the Trump administration. Judges issued 11 times as many voluntary departure orders in 2026 as in 2024. ICE also reported more than 491,000 arrests, while separate reports raised concerns about the vetting and training of some recently hired officers; the article’s final sentence is cut off.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.