The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reported a historic achievement in immigration enforcement, claiming over 2.5 million individuals without legal status have departed the United States since President Donald J. Trump assumed office on January 20.
According to DHS data, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has carried out more than 605,000 formal removals, most involving those with pending criminal charges or convictions. Nearly two million others have voluntarily returned home through the agency’s CBP Home mobile application, which offers no-cost flights and a $1,000 stipend for departure.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: “The Trump Administration is shattering historic records with more than 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving the U.S. DHS has deported more than 605,000 illegal aliens, and another 1.9 million have self-deported. Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”
The enforcement initiative coincides with a sustained decline in migrant releases at the southern border. For six consecutive months, DHS has not permitted any illegal immigrants into the country, a shift it attributes to improved housing market conditions. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner recently highlighted four straight months of declining rental prices nationwide, while Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized that “the connection between illegal immigration and skyrocketing housing costs is as clear as day.” Both officials credited the administration’s actions for these positive economic outcomes.
Additional reporting indicates a sharp increase in ICE operations throughout 2025, with expanded removal efforts targeting multiple nationalities, including recent deportations of Iranian nationals via third-country transit points.
