ICE deportations and arrests hit record high as Trump faces reckoning over immigration crackdown

November 12, 2026 / 6:00 AM EST / CBS News

Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026, according to new Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News, marking a historic escalation in President Trump's signature immigration crackdown, even as voters grapple with the increase in interior enforcement.

The total number of individuals deported represents the highest annual figure in ICE's reported history, surpassing the law enforcement agency's previous record of 442,640 in fiscal year 2025. ICE also reported more than 491,000 immigration arrests during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, including nearly 475,000 administrative arrests — another record, according to DHS. Administrative arrests are those in which alleged undocumented immigrants are arrested for civil violations rather than criminal charges.

The records underscore a defining feature of Mr. Trump's second presidency — a sweeping enforcement campaign reshaped by dramatic immigration policy and the operational expansion of the federal law enforcement footprint in communities far from the border. But they also arrive at a politically complicated moment for Mr. Trump.

Following sweeping Republican losses in the midterm elections, the president has publicly acknowledged that parts of his deportation campaign may have gone too far.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/