Deportation: Comparing Obama, Biden, and Trump
Has any one president been better than the other when it comes to immigration policy?
Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden all oversaw deportations during their time in office. But while the rhetoric might have been different under each administration, was there any major discernible difference in policy?
Below we compare the past three sitting presidents.
Barack Obama
Under Obama, deportations reached historically high levels. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Obama’s administration deported more than 3 million people during his two terms, making him the president with the highest number of deportations in U.S. history until the Trump administration.
One of Obama’s signature immigration enforcement programs was the Secure Communities Program, which aimed to identify and deport people with criminal convictions. However, it often led to deportations of individuals who had only minor infractions, raising concerns about its broad reach and fairness.
Obama emphasized that deportations should focus on individuals with criminal records or who posed a national security threat. He referred to this approach as "smart enforcement," with the goal of prioritizing dangerous individuals over non-criminal undocumented immigrants.
In 2012, Obama created DACA, which allowed certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to stay and work without fear of deportation. However, DACA did not provide a path to citizenship and did not prevent the deportation of other undocumented individuals.
While Obama focused on criminal deportations, his administration also faced criticism for separating families and detaining parents and children, especially after the 2014 surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America.
Donald Trump
Deportations under Trump were still significant, but slightly lower than Obama’s. According to ICE, there were approximately 1.7 million deportations during Trump’s four years in office. However, the rhetoric and policies surrounding deportation became much more aggressive.
Trump focused heavily on expanding the authority of ICE and increasing the number of deportations. He gave ICE broader discretion to deport a wider range of undocumented individuals, not just those with criminal records. This included people who had been in the U.S. for many years or had no criminal history at all.
Trump implemented a "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which included family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border. Adults who were caught crossing the border illegally were prosecuted, leading to the separation of children from parents. This policy was widely criticized and reversed by Trump under intense public pressure.
Trump attempted to end DACA, though the Supreme Court blocked his efforts in 2020. Despite this, his administration still took a hard line on deporting individuals protected under DACA, creating a sense of insecurity for recipients.
Trump expanded the "public charge" rule, making it more difficult for immigrants to gain legal permanent residency if they used public benefits, such as food stamps or Medicaid.
Also known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, this forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases were processed, effectively preventing many from claiming asylum in the U.S.
Joe Biden
Deportations under Biden have been lower than those under Trump, but the numbers are still significant. ICE deported around 1.4 million people during Biden’s first three years in office (2021–2023), which is fewer than under Trump but still relatively high.
Upon taking office, Biden issued an executive order that temporarily halted deportations, particularly of individuals with no criminal history. However, the moratorium was challenged in court and was blocked in some states, so it was not fully implemented.
Biden’s administration has emphasized prioritizing the deportation of individuals who are convicted of serious crimes or pose national security threats. This shift mirrors Obama’s approach to focusing on criminals but has faced challenges due to the size of ICE’s caseload.
Biden instructed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a 120-day review of immigration enforcement policies. This led to new guidelines that limited deportations to those with serious criminal records or national security concerns.
Biden has pledged to end the family separations that occurred under Trump, and his administration has taken steps to reunite families.
While Biden campaigned on a more humane approach to immigration, the administration has faced significant challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. The numbers of migrants seeking asylum surged in 2021, and Biden’s administration has had to contend with difficult choices between enforcing immigration laws and addressing the humanitarian needs of asylum seekers.
Biden officially ended Trump’s "Remain in Mexico" policy, though it was briefly reinstated due to a court order, only to be ended again by Biden’s administration.
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