The figures that don’t add up
Donald Trump’s government boasts “historic” numbers in migrant expulsions. Nearly three million people in its first year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But here comes the first problem: no one knows exactly what they are telling.
Specialists and organizations such as the Migration Policy Institute warn that there is no single legal definition of the term ‘deportation’.
And this is key. Because if we look only at court-ordered expulsions, both Obama and Biden surpassed Trump’s numbers. The difference is in what this administration puts in the bag: border rejections, administrative returns… things that were previously counted separately.
Beyond the numbers
But what is really worrying is not the numbers, but how they are being applied. There is a radical change in strategy.
While previous governments prioritized deporting people with serious criminal records, now only between 25% and 35% of those expelled have a criminal record. Anyone without documents is treated as a “criminal”, regardless of their family roots or whether they have pending asylum proceedings.
The raids have changed scene. With fewer irregular border crossings, border agents have been reassigned to the interior of the country. Now they operate in streets, workplaces… even in courts where they detain people who were going to comply with legal procedures.
Protection in “sensitive places” is over: schools, hospitals, churches are no longer shelters. Hooded agents, aggressive tactics… a climate of permanent fear has been created in migrant communities.
Comparing numbers between administrations is misleading. What has really changed is the philosophy: before they sought to deport those who represented a danger; Now anyone without papers is persecuted, without distinction.
The numbers may be debatable, but the fear in the communities is very real.
