“Record Number of Deportations in 2021 with Increased Flight Assistance by Immigration Agency”

MCALLEN, Texas – In a report released on Thursday, it was disclosed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 270,000 individuals to 192 countries within a recent 12-month timeframe. This marked the highest annual figure in the past decade, highlighting some of the financial and operational obstacles that President-elect Donald Trump may encounter in fulfilling his promise of widespread deportations.

During its fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, ICE, the primary government entity tasked with expelling individuals residing in the country unlawfully, recorded 271,484 deportations. This number represented a significant increase from 142,580 deportations observed during the corresponding period in the prior year.

The latest deportation figure reported by ICE is the highest since 2014 when the agency removed 315,943 individuals. Notably, the peak during Trump’s initial term in office was 267,258 deportations in 2019.

Increased deportation flights, including on weekends, and streamlined travel procedures for people sent to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador fueled the increase, ICE said. The agency had its first large flight to China in six years and also had planes stop in Albania, Angola, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritania, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Mexico was the most common destination for deportees (87,298), followed by Guatemala (66,435) and Honduras (45,923), the report said. Mexico and Central American countries are expected to continue to bear the brunt of deportations, partly because those governments more readily accept their respective citizens than some others and logistics are easier.

Still, ICE’s detention space and staff limited its reach as the number of people it monitors through immigration courts continued to mushroom. The agency’s enforcement and removals unit has remained steady at around 6,000 officers over the last decade while its caseload has roughly quadrupled to about 8 million people.

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Spagat reported from San Diego.