In 2016, immigration was the biggest issue in the presidential race. Critics of then-President Barack Obama trashed his immigration policy which paved the way for then-Republican candidate Donald Trump to run on an anti-migration agenda. Ten years later, the presidents’ controversial handling of deportations has resulted in perhaps the worst crisis in generations.
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Another fatal shooting involving an ICE agent and an American citizen named Alex Pretti has sparked more demands that Trump call off ICE, which has completely transformed under his second term. Still, the president’s mass deportation agenda hasn’t slowed down despite public protests and bipartisan outrage spanning the last year.
We’ve kept you up to speed with all of the chaos surrounding Trump’s migration policies. Illegal deportations, the deaths of American citizens and the immigration Gold Card will likely all go down in history as the most bizarre aspects of the president’s ongoing plan. But even though he’s promised the largest deportation effort in American history, in truth the Republican hasn’t even touched the numbers of his predecessor, CBS News reported.
Obama’s legacy as the “Deporter-in-Chief” is still haunting Trump. You’re probably aware that Democrat deported more undocumented immigrations during his eight years compared to any other president– Republican or Democrat, according to reports. On paper, Obama’s immigration policy was one of the most controversial and strictest is modern history. So why don’t we remember that way?
By 2014, the Obama administration focused the deportation effort to “prioritize” criminals, terrorists and recent border crossers (with no real ties to the U.S.). And by the following year, ICE reported 91 percent of deportees held criminal records.
Obama, notably created pathways for hundreds of thousands of young migrations through the DREAMers’ Act. Simultaneously, he got sanctuary cities to cooperate with his deportation plan by following the law and requesting Congressional and local approval when needed, POLITICO reported. Unlike President Trump’s second term agenda, which has faced massive delays due to lawsuits and accusations of violating the Constitution.
Trump has switched his policy from going strictly after undocumented criminals to anybody can get it, which most Americans do not support, according to recent polls. In addition to Trump expanding his immigration targets, the building of a wall at the southern border, creation of Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida and even launch of the Trump Gold Card— fast tracking immigration applications for those willing to pay $1 million– have all changed the focus from policy to now an issue of right and wrong.
ICE agents have repeatedly been accused of violating the rights of Americans and immigrations during operations. And as tensions in Minneapolis continue to stir, more folks are starting to question if Trump’s policy is really working.
We previously told you the U.S. reported negative net migration under Trump 2.0, with more people leaving the country than coming in. “At 310,000 to 315,000, the 2025 removals are not much higher than the 2024 removals of around 285,000,” according to a report by the Brookings Institute reported . In 2025, most deportations were initiated Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as opposed to ICE, suggesting Trump’s ICE bulk-up in cities like Minneapolis aren’t as effective as he once claimed.
On the flip side, the numbers show Obama’s migration policy– while controversial– was quite effective. By the end of his second term, the Democrat became the first since Ronald Reagan to leave office with basically the same amount of undocumented migrants in the country as when he was sworn in, NPR reported.
Still, Trump’s immigration policy has faced overwhelming public disapproval compared to Obama’s terms. The reason why? While it’s true that 44 deported more people, that’s exactly where all the Trump comparisons stop.
Straight From 
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