According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency report released on Thursday, more than 271,000 immigrants were deported from the US over the last fiscal year even as President Joe Biden pledged to pause deportations in 2021.

The change in decision comes in the wake of a surge in border crossings.

The number of immigrants released last year is the largest number deported in nearly a decade, even surpassing the numbers during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The flow of deportations made by the Biden administration seems to be happening because of a streamlined process, as the report by ICE suggests, weeks before Trump assumes office.

Majority of the deportations in the year 2024 involved illegal migrants who were apprehended by border officials compared to those arrested in the country’s interior. About 82 per cent of immigrants deported were arrested by border officials.

Karoline Leavitt, who would serve as the national press secretary for the incoming administration said that Biden’s deportation numbers are feeble compared to the numbers of illegal immigration during his presidency. “On day one, President Trump will fix the immigration and national security nightmare that Joe Biden created by launching the largest mass deportation operation of illegal criminals in United States history,” she said.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of migrant encounters along the US-Mexico border have dropped to their lowest level since 2020.

Even though Trump has made mass deportations the cornerstone of his incoming administration, the Immigration machinery seems to be “running hot” on budget, with a $230 million shortfall.

And a shortfall could mean Trump might have to delay his “mass deportation” plans.