The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded the highest number of arrests and deportations in the agency’s history during fiscal year 2026, with more than 491,000 arrests and 483,200 deportations, the department said.
“Fiscal Year 2026 saw the highest number of ICE deportations and arrests for any year in ICE’s history,” Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, according to DHS.
DHS said officials made more than 491,000 arrests in the fiscal year, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests — the highest administrative total in agency history.
The department reported 483,200 deportations for the fiscal year, surpassing the previous agency record of 442,640 set the year before, DHS said.
According to DHS, total arrests in fiscal 2026 exceeded the combined figures for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024 by nearly 65,000. Deportations in fiscal 2026 nearly matched the combined total for those three full fiscal years under the Biden administration, falling short by fewer than 3,000, the department said.
DHS said August 2026 set a new single-month record for arrests with 50,925; September 2026 logged over 48,000 arrests. The department also said that under the current administration more than 3 million migrants have left the U.S.; as of October 2026 DHS said it had deported nearly 1.2 million people and arrested more than 1.25 million.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women of ICE, who just broke more historic records,” Mullin said, according to DHS.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
