DHS says 3 million illegal immigrants have left US under Trump administration

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday praised “historic progress” under President Donald Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem, highlighting that nearly 3 million illegal immigrants have left the United States and what officials called “the most secure border in American history.”

The statement, released as Trump delivered his first State of the Union address after returning to office, credited the administration’s policies for record-low border crossings, expanded immigration enforcement and billions of dollars in tax savings, while congressional Democrats were criticized for shutting down DHS funding.

“Nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the United States over the past 13 months due to the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including the self-deportation of an estimated 2.2 million people and the deportation of more than 713,000 people,” Noem said in a statement. he said.

Noem added that total border seizures under the Trump administration were “less than a month” under the Biden administration, and DHS saved taxpayers more than $13.2 billion.

“Countless lives have been saved, communities have been strengthened, and the American people have been put first again,” Noem said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and removed more than 1,500 known or suspected terrorists last year, DHS said.

Immigration operations across the country also led to nearly 8,000 gang-related arrests, including members affiliated with Tren de Aragua and MS-13, the department said. DHS added that it has launched a new web page called “Worst of the Worst” that tracks criminal illegal immigrants arrested during federal enforcement operations under its administration.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said nearly 3 million illegal immigrants have left the United States in the last 13 months during the Trump administration. (Luke Johnson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The department also reported an increase in drugs seized by Customs and Border Protection compared to the previous 12-month period; This included 617,648 pounds of illegal drugs nationwide last year – an 8% increase from the previous year.

The Coast Guard has separately seized nearly 550,000 pounds of illicit drugs valued at more than $3.9 billion through counterdrug operations and prevented more than 206 million lethal doses from reaching U.S. communities, DHS said.

DHS said this and the Department of Health and Human Services has located 145,000 unaccompanied children lost under the Biden administration.

“Many of these children were exploited and abused before, during, and after being smuggled across our borders,” DHS said. he said.

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Border crossings reached record lows during President Trump’s second term, DHS said. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

The department echoed comments made by Trump during his speech and blamed Democrats for the partial government shutdown after Senate Democrats once again blocked a Republican attempt to fund the department ahead of his prime-time speech.

“Despite our historic successes, Democratic Politicians on Capitol Hill have shut down DHS and deprived many of our brave men and women who protect our national security of their paychecks, endangering their livelihoods and those of their families,” DHS said.

In his speech, Trump criticized Democrats for not being able to reach a financing agreement.

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Trump said during his speech: “As we speak, the Democrats in this chamber have cut all funding to the Department of Homeland Security. They’ve all been cut, they’ve all been cut. The Democrats have decided to do another shutdown; the first one cost us two points in GDP, we lost two points in GDP, which probably made them pretty happy actually.” “They shut down the agency charged with protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers.”

Trump said he “demands” that funding for the department and its efforts to secure the border be immediately and fully restored.

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