Washington, Oct. 20, 2025 — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the U.S. has deported more than 515,000 people since President Donald Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, a pace officials claim could reach 600,000 removals by the end of his first year back in the White House. The figures were shared by DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in an interview published Monday on Fox News
McLaughlin said the administration is “on pace to shatter historic records” for removals in 2025. She added that, in total, over two million people have left the U.S. this year—about 1.6 million of them through voluntary self-departure, and the rest via formal deportations—while DHS has made approximately 485,000 additional arrests since January.
DHS frames results as the start of a broader crackdown
Calling the numbers “just the beginning,” McLaughlin credited President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with “jumpstarting” immigration enforcement after what she described as years of constraints.
DHS has separately touted the combined “two million out” milestone in a September statement, attributing the total to a mix of removals and self-departures as enforcement operations accelerated across ICE, CBP and the Coast Guard.
Context and what’s next
Independent, regularly updated ICE dashboards and third-party trackers show removals and enforcement flights rising in 2025, consistent with a sharp ramp-up under Trump’s second term, though the government’s year-end totals won’t be finalized until after the fiscal year closes.
The claims arrive amid heightened scrutiny of DHS leadership and operational spending, as well as ongoing legal challenges and court injunctions that could affect how quickly removals proceed in the months ahead.
Editor’s note: Today’s figures are based on DHS statements, including McLaughlin’s on-the-record comments and recent department releases; official audited year-end totals will come later from DHS/ICE statistical reports.
