U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has set a target of deporting 1 million migrants per year, according to a budget document submitted to Congress, marking a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement goals.
The document from the Department of Homeland Security states that ICE has increased its “future annual target to 1,000,000 returns and removals” to reflect expanded capacity and a continued push to enforce immigration laws.
The target confirms long-running speculation that the administration was pursuing a numerical deportation quota. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had denied to lawmakers in congressional testimony that any such target existed, while The Washington Post reported that adviser Stephen Miller had privately pushed for enforcement levels consistent with more than 1 million deportations annually. The new budget document explicitly sets that goal.
ICE reported carrying out 442,637 deportations in fiscal year 2025, including about 166,939 involving migrants with criminal records, according to the document.
The agency’s figures combine both formal “removals,” which carry legal penalties for reentry, and “returns,” a less formal process in which migrants agree to leave the country voluntarily.
The document also outlines plans to expand detention capacity to 99,000 beds and increase immigration-related arrests to 400,000 annually.
As of early April, ICE had reported more than 234,000 formal removals for fiscal year 2026, not including voluntary returns.