Trump’s secret goal; deport one million migrants: WP

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Washington Post
13 Apr 2025 14:46

The Trump administration is reportedly pursuing an unprecedented goal of deporting one million immigrants within a single year, according to a Washington Post investigation.

A US deportation officer changes the handcuffs of Wilmer Patricio Medina-Medina from back to front after arresting him during an early morning operation on December 17, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP)

The Trump administration has set its sights on a striking goal: deporting one million immigrants within a single year—a figure that would shatter all historical records. According to a Washington Post report citing four current and former federal officials with direct knowledge of internal discussions, the “1 million” target has repeatedly come up in private strategy sessions as the driving ambition behind the administration’s intensified deportation campaign during President Trump’s first year back in office.

Deporting such a large number would significantly outpace prior records. The highest annual deportation figure to date was slightly over 400,000 during the Obama administration. However, officials say it remains unclear how Trump’s team is calculating the numbers.

Given current staffing levels, limited resources, and legal obligations—such as the requirement for court hearings in most cases—analysts cited in the report say the one-million deportation goal appears highly unrealistic, if not outright logistically unfeasible.

Wider context

Two officials said, as quoted by The Washington Post, that White House adviser Stephen Miller has been meeting “almost daily” with Department of Homeland Security personnel and other federal agencies to devise strategies to achieve the target.

One potential approach involves deporting some of the 1.4 million immigrants who already have final removal orders but cannot be expelled because their countries of origin refuse to take them back. The administration is reportedly negotiating with up to 30 countries to accept these individuals—even if they are not citizens of those countries.

In court filings, the administration revealed plans to send “thousands” of immigrants to so-called third countries, a move that marks the most ambitious effort yet to bypass repatriation barriers. Officials have already begun deportations to countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama, even when deportees lack citizenship there, according to WP.

Although the White House has remained quiet on the specific goal, spokesperson Kush Desai said in an email that the Trump administration is acting on a voter mandate to correct what it sees as a border and immigration enforcement failure under President Biden.