Rarely do we see news stories from the legacy media that provide an accurate or positive picture of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) effort to enforce violations of our immigration law.
DHS data, spanning both the Biden and Trump administrations, can be reviewed on-line by anyone willing to make the effort at the DHS site, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Management Data.
A review of the data, comparing the 2nd year performance of both the Biden (FY 2022) and Trump Administration’s (FY 2026) immigration enforcement efforts, shows a marked improvement under the Trump administration. This evaluation is supported by several key metrics:
- The average daily detention center population – a figure that has increased nearly three-fold from 22,578 to 64,508.
- The percentage of those detained who have either a criminal conviction or pending criminal charge has more than doubled under the Trump administration (28% in 2022 to 58% in 2026).
- Overall bookings into either Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities have increased from 306,979 in 2022 to 353,948 in just the first ten months of 2026. The key difference is that in 2022 only 19% of those bookings were illegal aliens arrested inside our borders, while in 2026 that percentage has risen to 91%.
- Removals (deportations). In 2022, the Biden administration removed just 22% (69,019) of those it detained for immigration violations, while it released 80% (246,080) of those it detained into the country to await further immigration hearings. By comparison, the Trump administration has removed more immigration violators in 2026 than it has detained in the fiscal year (356,389 removed and 353,948 detained).
- The deterrent effect – attempts to illegally enter the country have dramatically decreased. This is evidenced by the near reversal in percentages of detentions occurring at the border. In 2022, 81% (250,112) of all DHS detentions occurred at the border, while in 2026 that percentage has dropped to just 9% (33,912).
The Trump administration has carried out its immigration enforcement largely as voters indicated support for in 2024.
As with most issues, the enforcement is now either supported or opposed largely along party lines. This polling by the Harvard Kennedy School from early 2026 illustrates that point: