DHS touts 900K deportations under Trump as removal flights double: 'Leave now or we will find you'

WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the Trump administration has reached record deportation levels, announcing that nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants have been removed from the United States since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.

The announcement comes as new data shows deportation flights surged to their highest monthly total of Trump's second term in May. DHS has also issued a fresh warning to illegal immigrants, urging them to self-deport or face arrest and removal as the administration continues to expand its immigration enforcement efforts.

DHS says deportation flights hit highest level of Trump's second term

DHS highlighted the milestone in a post on X after the Washington Examiner reported that nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump took office on January 20, 2025.

DHS added that the American people gave the Trump administration a “mandate to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens,” adding that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the agency would “continue to deliver.”

Data from Human Rights First organization revealed that in May, the Trump administration carried out roughly 296 flights removing illegal migrants from the country, the Washington Examiner reported.

This represented a “more than double” increase from the 126 flights removing illegal aliens “during Trump’s first full month in office.”

The department also reiterated that immigration enforcement remains one of the administration's top priorities.

“Our message is clear: LEAVE NOW or we will find you, arrest you, and deport you,” DHS added in the post.

Trump admin says enforcement campaign will continue

 Acting ICE Director David Venturella confirmed that since Trump took office on January 20, 2025, DHS “has removed over 900,000 aliens” from the nation.

“ICE has been exploring every possible avenue to increase the number of deportations, and we continue to remove more criminals every single day,” Venturella said in a statement to Breitbart News at the time.

“During the second week of May, some of the most egregious aliens we deported include murderers and people who have been convicted of sexually assaulting children — and we won’t stop executing President Trump’s mandate to make America safe again.”

"We won't stop executing President Trump's mandate to make America safe again," Venturella said.

Immigration has stayed the defining issue of Trump's second term. Since returning to office, the administration has expanded ICE operations, increased detention capacity, sped up deportation flights and encouraged illegal immigrants to leave the country voluntarily before being taken into custody.

The administration has said repeatedly that its priority is removing illegal immigrants with criminal records while increasing overall deportation numbers. Officials have argued the policy enhances border security and public safety.

Immigrant advocacy groups, meanwhile, have condemned the expanded enforcement campaign, saying it has created a climate of fear in immigrant communities and raised due process concerns for some migrants.