Trump’s Deportations Hit ICE Record as Most Voters Say Enforcement Went Too Far

Immigration and Customs Enforcement celebrated record deportations and arrests Thursday, highlighting the expansion of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown just a week after Republican midterm losses and exit polls showing most voters believed his administration had gone too far.

The agency reported deporting 483,200 people and making more than 491,000 immigration arrests during fiscal 2026, which ended on September 30. The deportation total exceeded the previous year's record of 442,640 by approximately 9%, according to the government's figures.

Immigration, a central issue in Trump's return to the White House, has become a source of discontent even among some people who supported him in 2024. National exit polling published by NBC News found that 59% of voters believed the administration had gone too far on immigration enforcement. Among Hispanic voters, that figure reached 68%, adding to Republican concerns about declining Latino support after last week's elections.

Warning signs had appeared before Election Day. A September POLITICO Poll found that 31% of Trump's 2024 voters who did not identify with the MAGA movement considered his deportation campaign too aggressive. Even among those who identified as MAGA, 14% shared that assessment.

ICE's announcement emphasized the increasing pace of operations. The agency recorded nearly 51,000 arrests in August, surpassing a monthly record set in July, and made more than 48,000 arrests in September.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited the president for the results. "Thanks to President Trump's leadership, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens so that we can save American lives," Mullin said in the statement accompanying the announcement.

The annual totals, however, do not by themselves establish how many people arrested or deported had criminal convictions. The announcement lacked the criminal-history breakdowns provided by previous administrations, limiting assessments of who was swept up in the expanded campaign.

Trump has offered mixed signals about whether the election results will change his approach. After the Republican losses, he acknowledged that some voters viewed his deportation policy as "too tough." During a "60 Minutes" interview, he also raised the possibility of reaching an immigration agreement with Democrats.

This week, however, he defended his enforcement measures and ruled out an agreement involving "amnesty," leaving uncertain what a potential bipartisan deal might include or whether negotiations would produce a shift in policy.

His personnel decisions also pointed toward continued emphasis on enforcement. Trump elevated Stephen Miller, a leading architect of the mass deportation campaign, to White House chief of staff. POLITICO reported that the appointment frustrated some Republicans examining the party's election losses and erosion of support among Latino voters.

Immigration hard-liners welcomed the promotion. Some told POLITICO they viewed Miller's expanded role as an opportunity to intensify enforcement at farms, factories and other workplaces employing immigrants without legal authorization.