By now, every American should be aware of the adage, “How do you know Donald Trump is lying? His lips are moving.” Best economy of all time? NOPE! Highest energy production ever? NOPE! Would never appoint a numbskull like Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair? NOPE! I will release the Epstein files? NOPE! Foreign countries will pay for his tariffs? NOPE! But what about his signature issue, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION?
On Day One … We will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.
Donald Trump/October 21, 2024
NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! From NBC News:
Since February, the Trump administration has averaged 14,700 deportations per month. That’s far below the monthly average of 36,000 in 2013, the year with the most deportations during the Obama administration.
Julia Ainsley and Laura Strickler/July 10, 2025
In other words, Trump has been “trumped” by his self-appointed nemesis-in-chief Barack Obama. But, do not worry, it gets worse. Consider the following two factors in each president’s approach to enforcing immigration laws.
DEPORTATION BUDGET
On March 8, 2012, ICE director John Morton appeared before the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security to present Obama’s ICE budget request for FY2013. His opening statement included the following:
The President’s FY 2013 budget request for ICE totals $5.3 billion, which supports ICE’s core enforcement mission while identifying substantial efficiencies and cost saving measures. Indeed, this request is four percent below the FY 2012 enacted budget level but does not sacrifice frontline operational capability; instead creating a more efficient and effective organization.
In contrast, the MAGA-controlled Congress approved $10.5 billion dollars as part of the FY2025 Defense Appropriations Act. That was $1.2 billion above President Biden’s budget request. Let’s do the math.
Under Barack Obama, ICE spent an average of $12,269 per deportation in 2013. In contrast, so far this year, the Trump administration is expending an average of $59,524 per deportation. This does not include the cost of deploying the National Guard and U.S. marines to support ICE agents. In other words, the only thing that is “largest in the history of our country” about Trump’s deportation operation is the cost. Once again, the “GE” in “DOGE” more correctly should stand for “Government Excess.”
And how is MAGA world going to make up for the difference between Obama’s and Trump’s outcome? In a flood of hypocrisy, after years of MAGA outrage at pleas for increased financial support for public education, the One Big Beautiful Bill throws more money at the problem, increasing the ICE budget to $15 billion/year for the next 10 years.
DEPORTATION STRATEGY
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
Sun Tzu/”The Art of War”
As reported on June 6, 2025 by The National Review reporter Greg Sargent, “Trump advisor Stephen Miller recently erupted in anger over what he sees as woefully lagging deportation numbers, privately threatening to fire senior ICE officials over it.” How did Miller calm his anxiety? A change in tactics, sending ICE agents to Home Depots and immigration hearings to arrest persons of color who were “guilty” of seeking an honest day’s work or complying with U.S. immigration laws. Sun Tzu must be rolling over in his grave. The MAGA approach to immigration is the definition of “tactics without strategy.”
In contrast, Obama’s success during his second term was based on a 2014 strategy with the following priorities in order.
- Threats to national security, border security, and public safety (persons convicted of felonies).
- Significant misdemeanors (e.g. domestic violence, unlawful possession or use of a gun) and immigration violations, persons who entered or reentered the USA unlawfully.
- Other immigration violations such as non-compliance with a final order or removal.
The Obama administration estimated that these priorities would target 13 percent of the estimated 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants at that time. The best evidence of the value of this priority system is the number and reasons for deportation in the subsequent years.
In FY2016, 98 percent of all interior removals met one of the priorities above, and 92 percent (or about 60,000 out of 65,000 total interior removals) were convicted of a crime. Strict adherence to the priorities by ICE agents and the use of prosecutorial discretion significantly reduced overall interior removals, from 224,000 in FY2011 to 65,000 in FY2016
Department of Homeland Security Analysis
Trump’s January 20, 2025 executive orders related to immigration enforcement rescinded any federal policy related to the priority system. Instead, the Bipartisan Policy Center reports new ICE and DHS policies:
…target a much broader set of unauthorized persons for removal and empowers individual enforcement officers with broad discretionary authority to apprehend and detain any immigrant believed to be in violation of immigration law and start removal proceedings for any immigrant who is subject to removal under any provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)–this essentially includes any and all unauthorized immigrants in the country.
Lazaro Mamora/”Comparing Trump and Obama’s Deportation Priorities”
As we have seen, this policy which allows masked ICE agents to be the jury, judge and executioner has led to an increasing number of embarrassments where the courts reprimanded the Trump administration for violations of the constitutional rights of detainees and deportees and even some U.S. citizens.
Bottom line? For all MAGA lemmings who yearn for the “good ole days,” when it comes to immigration they need only return to 2014. More effective immigration enforcement at lower costs. Thanks, Obama.
For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP
Keep on writing such poignant pieces Dr. ESP!