Trump's campaign promises, coming to fruition: "Until June, deportations had lagged behind immigration arrests and detentions," reports The New York Times. "By the first week of August, deportations reached nearly 1,500 people per day, according to the latest data, a pace not seen since the Obama administration."
So far during President Donald Trump's second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported 180,000 people. The administration aims for 1 million this year, but if current numbers hold, it'll be closer to 400,000. Stephen Miller, the ardent immigration restrictionist who has Trump's ear, said on Fox News in late May that ICE would set a goal of a "minimum" of 3,000 arrests a day—far more than what it's currently logging. But that's beside the point: The administration seems interested in aggressive benchmarks and willing to use whatever tactics to get there, including compromising on apprehending the largest threats and instead going after people who've simply overstayed (a civil offense, not a criminal one).
In fact, it's looking very possible that the numbers will be juiced in order for these goals to be met, since the Trump administration enjoys its bragging rights. "The Department of Homeland Security says the total number of deportations so far under Mr. Trump is much higher—at 332,000. That figure includes people who are turned around or quickly deported at U.S. borders by Customs and Border Protection," per the Times. There's a fair bit of space between 180,000 and 332,000; expect more creative accounting as enforcement actions heat up further.
