1 week ago
14
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Jan. 22, 2025, 5:58 p.m. ET
In order for President Trump to keep his pledge to deport “millions and millions” of immigrants, his administration would need to move beyond the border.
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. focused enforcement on the record numbers of people who had recently crossed the southern border and used expanded emergency powers under Covid to conduct four million deportations during his tenure. Mr. Trump conducted 1.9 million during his first term.
Although Mr. Trump entered office in 2017 with similar promises to deport millions, he initially conducted deportations at a slower pace than under President Barack Obama.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and Mr. Trump used powers unlocked by the Covid health emergency, known as Title 42, to immediately expel border crossers from the country. Mr. Biden continued the practice until the end of the public health emergency in May 2023.
Title 42 expulsions made up a vast majority of removals during the pandemic years, but their totals can be misleading. Because these expulsions carried fewer penalties than a formal removal order, many people who were expelled simply attempted to cross again. (Those who were caught could be expelled repeatedly — the proportion of people who were arrested by Border Patrol again within a year rose to nearly 30 percent in 2021.)
