DHS Slams Media Coverage, Claims ‘Millions’ of Undocumented Immigrants Have Exited U.S. Under Trump Directives
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a stinging rebuke of news organizations this week, accusing the press of fabricating narratives regarding the agency’s ongoing border enforcement operations. In a statement released via social media, DHS officials asserted that the agency is simply “following through” on the central campaign promises of President Donald Trump to “protect our borders” and “go after criminals.”
The statement highlighted what the agency describes as a massive success in immigration enforcement, claiming that “millions of illegal aliens have left our country.” This assertion positions current operations as a fulfillment of the administration’s “Make America Safe Again” mandate, suggesting a correlation between strict enforcement and a significant reduction in the undocumented population.
Context and Enforcement Strategy
The DHS’s latest declaration underscores the aggressive posture of the Trump administration regarding immigration policy. By framing the departure of millions as a key metric of success, the administration appears to be counting not only formal deportations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but potentially “self-deportations”—where individuals leave voluntarily due to the fear of legal repercussions or inability to find work.
Historically, formal removals rarely reach the “millions” mark within a short timeframe without unprecedented logistical mobilization. The highest annual formal removal figures in previous administrations generally peaked around 400,000. To reach the figures cited by DHS, the data likely aggregates formal deportations, border turn-backs (Title 42-style expulsions), and estimated voluntary departures. This approach aligns with the administration’s strategy to utilize maximum deterrent pressure to shrink the undocumented population.
Scrutiny and Objections
Despite the DHS’s claims of success, the narrative that the media is lying about operations is heavily contested. Journalism organizations and humanitarian watchdogs argue that their reporting highlights necessary oversight, specifically focusing on the conditions inside detention centers, the cost of mass transportation for removals, and the due process rights of those detained.
Critics dispute the “millions” figure, calling for transparent data releases to verify whether these individuals have physically left the country or if the numbers are statistically modeled estimates. Furthermore, economists and business groups have voiced strong objections to mass expulsion strategies, warning that the sudden removal of millions of individuals could trigger severe labor shortages in the agriculture, hospitality, and construction sectors, potentially driving up inflation and stalling economic growth. Immigration advocates maintain that the focus on “criminals” often conflates violent offenders with individuals whose only offense is a civil immigration violation.
