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Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025

Did President Obama remove more noncitizens from the U.S. than any other president in U.S history?

Sofia Sierra, El Paso Matters
yes

Former President Barack Obama formally removed 3 million noncitizens from the U.S. over two terms – more than any other president in American history, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

In comparison, President George Bush removed about 870,000 people; Bill Clinton, about 2 million; and Donald Trump about 1.2 million people during his first term.  

The DHS defines a removal as a formal court order expelling a person from inside the U.S. Obama does not hold the record for returns, a separate statistic addressing individuals turned away at the border prior to entering the U.S.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, immigration and enforcement policies and practices under the Obama administration focused on recent unauthorized border crossers and those who had committed crimes.

When combining removals and returns, Clinton expelled about 12.3 million people, the most of any U.S. president overall.

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