The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the United States over the last 13 months due to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem highlighted the milestone in a statement marking key achievements since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025. "Over the last 13 months, nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 713,000 deportations," Noem said.

The figures represent an update from DHS's January report, which cited 675,000 deportations and the same 2.2 million self-deportations for the first full year of the administration, totaling nearly 3 million departures. Officials attribute the exodus to enhanced enforcement, including interior operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and stricter border measures that prompted many to leave voluntarily.

Border security has seen dramatic improvements, according to DHS data. U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border totaled just 90,084 in the administration's first year, lower than the average monthly figure of 155,485 under President Joe Biden. Daily encounters dropped 95 percent to about 250, and for the past nine months, no illegal aliens have been released into the country from Border Patrol custody.

Enforcement efforts prioritized criminal illegal aliens. ICE arrested over 1,538 known or suspected terrorists, removing 1,534, and conducted operations yielding 7,808 gang arrests, including members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. DHS also seized 617,648 pounds of illicit drugs nationwide, an 8 percent increase from the prior year, including over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl.

The announcement coincides with President Trump's State of the Union address, where he praised the secure border and criticized Democrats for a recent government shutdown that temporarily halted DHS funding. DHS launched a "Worst of the Worst" webpage tracking criminal arrests to underscore the focus on public safety.

Independent trackers provide varying formal deportation counts. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reported around 290,000 removals in the early months of fiscal year 2026, though DHS maintains higher totals including expedited actions. The administration continues border wall construction with $46.5 billion allocated, aiming for completion by mid-2026.

DHS emphasized additional wins, such as locating 145,000 unaccompanied migrant children missing from prior tracking and terminating parole programs for certain nationalities. Coast Guard interdictions rose 44 percent, removing over 12,000 illegal aliens by sea.