DHS Says 3 Million Illegal Immigrants Left U.S. In Trump's First Year

As of May 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says more than 3 million people who were in the U.S. illegally left the country during President Trump's first year back in office.^[1]

DHS estimates about 2.2 million of those departures were voluntary self-deportations, aided in part by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app, which offers travel help and financial support.^[1] The department reports nearly 900,000 deportations and more than 900,000 arrests over the same period.^[1] Customs and Border Protection logged 8,943 southwest border apprehensions in April 2026, which DHS says is a 94% drop from the Biden-era monthly average and 96% below the December 2023 peak.^[1] DHS and Border Patrol say they have gone one year without releasing migrants directly into the U.S. interior after border apprehensions.^[1]

The CBP Home app offers travel help and financial support to migrants, and DHS credits it with facilitating many of the 2.2 million self-deportations.^[1] Officials present the combination of voluntary departures and stepped-up removals as central to the administration's border policy and to the sharp drop in apprehensions.^[1]

DHS's numbers are likely to shape the political debate over immigration as lawmakers weigh border policy ahead.

1. Fox News