Deportations climb under Trump but fall short of White House target, a new report finds
– By Rebecca Santana, Associated Press
President Donald Trump's administration is on track to deport about 660,000 people over the past year, a new report released Thursday shows, as arrests ramp up across the country fueled by billions of dollars meant to supercharge his immigration agenda.
The report by the Migration Policy Institute shows deportations increased from 620,000 during the first year of Trump's second administration. The numbers fall short of previous highs in the early 2000s and fail to meet the Trump administration's promise, made when it received the billions from Congress, that the money would allow for 1 million deportations annually.
The report, based on publicly available data obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, comes after the Trump administration in January 2025 stopped publicly releasing similar figures compiled by the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump, a Republican, returned to power last year promising to stanch crossings at the southern border and crack down on immigration. His administration has pushed through restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration and launched high-profile arrest operations in its bid to force migrants out.
The analysis found that the Department of Homeland Security carried out 980,000 deportations during the first 18 months of the second Trump administration.
During the last fiscal year — when the Trump administration's immigration enforcement mechanisms were shifting into high gear — an estimated 660,000 people were deported.
According to MPI's analysis, that's a 26% increase from the yearly average from 2021 to 2024 during the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, but well below the 1.86 million deportations recorded in 2000, under President Bill Clinton, another Democrat.
Despite the surging arrests, the report details some of the challenges to the Trump administration reaching its deportation targets.
Historically, many immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization were from Mexico and didn't often seek asylum. But in recent years, migrants have come to the U.S. from a wide range of countries, which can make it more complicated to deport them. And immigration courts, which ultimately decide whether someone can be removed from the country, face more significant case backlogs.
The report said voluntary departures — when people give up their cases in immigration court and agree to leave the country — were at an "all-time high," with 170,000 choosing to do so since Trump returned to office in January 2025. People who choose voluntary departure could one day return to the U.S. But some immigrant advocates and lawyers say that people give up their court fight and agree to leave simply to get out of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detention.
The Trump administration was also increasingly deporting people it arrested in the country's interior, the report said, reflecting how it was stepping up enforcement against migrants who have been in the country for a long time. In 2025, about 28% of the people deported were arrested inside the country, but by July of this year that had risen to 39%.
Migrants arrested at the southern border still make up a large number of deportations, the report said — 69% of all deportations between Jan. 20, 2025, and July 31, 2026, were of people initially intercepted at the border.
People in the country longer may have more opportunities to contest their removal while the government typically has greater authority to fast-track deportations for people arrested at the border.
The analysis said most people deported have never been convicted of a crime, despite the Trump administration claiming to be targeting the "worst of the worst." Previous data has showed the same.
Homeland Security stopped releasing similar data when Trump took office, making it difficult to track one of his key campaign promises. Figures the Trump administration has released are inconsistent and unverifiable.
The administration says it is transparent. On Tuesday, it released some of its own figures as part of a document boasting of its achievements on immigration, including that 1.2 million migrants have been deported or removed during Trump's second term. The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.
In the absence of regular data, analysts and activists interested in immigration trends have relied on information obtained through lawsuits or limited and sporadic information released by federal agencies to track deportation data.
New Mexico hunting outfitters group says it ‘strongly rejects’ AG opinion that carveout is illegal
– Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
A coalition of New Mexico professional outfitters earlier this week pushed back against a recent opinion from Attorney General Raúl Torrez that concludes a state policy reserving 10% of tags for hunters who contract with outfitters is unconstitutional.
The New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides issued a statement on social media Monday on behalf of professional outfitters, who regularly charge out-of-state hunters thousands of dollars for a guided hunting tour along with promises of better odds of bagging an elk, deer, bighorn sheep or other game.
The council said it “strongly rejects” Torrez’s opinion his office released earlier this month that determined the “outfitter set-aside” both violates the Public Trust Doctrine of the state constitution and also unfairly benefits wealthy, out-of-state sportsmen over local residents.
The group’s post says Torrez misinterpreted case law and relied too heavily on an interest group’s analysis, which found that nonresidents received more than 90% of the elk licenses the state issued to those who contracted with outfitters in the hunting season that ran between late 2022 and early 2023.
“The opinion fundamentally misinterprets federal jurisprudence, conflates private market values with public draw allocations, and ignores the strict regulatory requirements New Mexico outfitters are required to meet,” the coalition wrote. “NMCOG calls on state leadership to reject this flawed advisory opinion and stand with the small businesses, rural communities, and working families that depend on New Mexico’s outdoor recreation.”
Kerrie Cox Romero, the council’s executive director, told Source NM on Wednesday that her board is “considering” whether to sue Torrez over the opinion and also intends to lobby the Legislature against adopting his recommendations at the upcoming session.
She said Torrez’s conclusions, in addition to being based on faulty legal basis, ignore the impact outfitting has on rural economies and state revenues. The outfitting industry contributes millions of dollars through gross receipts tax, as well as fees to the Department of Wildlife and other payments to federal and state land management agencies like the United States Forest Service and State Land Office, she noted.
“It’s so tone deaf,” she said. “The outfitting industry is a core industry for rural New Mexico.”
John Blair, senior counsel and communications director for the New Mexico Department of Justice, did not immediately respond to Source NM’s request for comment Wednesday on the group’s criticism.
While Torrez’s opinion is not binding, it came in response to a letter from 21 Democrats in the state Legislature who wrote they were concerned out-of-state hunters were buying their way into hunts for New Mexico game. Their letter came shortly after the Department of Wildlife announced results from its annual big game draw, which angered some New Mexico residents who didn’t receive a hunting tag.
Lawmakers including state Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) announced shortly after Torrez released his opinion that they would take up major reforms to the law governing the allocation of hunting tags at the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 19 and runs for 60 days.
In New Mexico governor's race, Deb Haaland's historic bid tests Democrats' political hold
– By Susan Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters, Associated Press
If Deb Haaland wins New Mexico's race for governor this year, she'll make history as the first Native American woman to lead a state.
But first she has to convince New Mexicans that they should keep Democrats in charge. The state persistently ranks near the bottom nationally on poverty, crime and public education, and disenchanted voters are pleading for change.
A loss would be embarrassing for Democrats, who hold all the top state offices and have controlled the Legislature nearly continuously for almost a century. Haaland blames President Donald Trump for compounding the state's problems by cutting social programs that New Mexicans disproportionately rely on and increasing the cost of living by waging war against Iran. She proposes expanding existing tax credits and spending more on safety net programs to help families make ends meet.
Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo in west-central New Mexico, once relied on government assistance as a single mother. She rose through the ranks, serving in Congress for two years before being tapped as President Joe Biden's interior secretary.
A victory in the governor's race could elevate Haaland's standing in the Democratic Party. The party recently named New Mexico as one of the earliest states for its next presidential primary, bolstering its prominence in national politics and ensuring more visits from White House hopefuls.
Gregg Hull, the Republican contender and a former mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho, said New Mexico can no longer afford more of the same and is "primed for a shift." If he wins, Hull promises to cut taxes, which he said will fight poverty by allowing people to keep more money in their pockets.
"I think the time has come to have a leader who is going to focus on the true solutions to these problems," Hull said.
Haaland has leveraged her national profile into a nearly $20 million campaign fund and endorsements from big Democratic names, including former President Barack Obama and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Haaland at an Albuquerque daycare center this week to read stories to preschoolers and promote New Mexico's fledgling universal childcare program, which Haaland has pledged to preserve.
"I have known and worked with Deb Haaland for many years, and she is a fighter on behalf of opportunities for all of our children," Warren said.
Hull, meanwhile, has emphasized his record leading Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque, through a period of fast economic growth. He says he would apply lessons from that experience to attract large employers to the state and boost workers' incomes.
That pitch resonates with A.J. Rodriguez, a school security guard who lives in Edgewood and said local success means more to him than federal experience.
"I do like how he was running Rio Rancho," Rodriguez said. "I liked his stance on crime."
New Mexico's next governor will face stubborn challenges but also inherit a financial cushion that could be used to address them.
As the nation's No. 2 oil-producing state, New Mexico has used record revenues over the years to build substantial budget reserves and multibillion-dollar permanent funds that help pay for schools and childcare. Higher energy prices stemming from the war with Iran have provided an additional boost.
In that windfall, Hull sees an opportunity to reduce New Mexicans' tax burden. He has a plan to gradually phase out state income tax for all residents while reining in recent growth in state spending.
"If you want to raise people out of poverty, the best way to do that is to improve their personal wealth," he said.
Haaland favors doubling down on free childcare and free college tuition and shoring up government assistance for healthcare and food after federal cuts under Trump. Once a supporter of the Green New Deal, a sweeping plan for transitioning away from fossil fuels to fight climate change, Haaland acknowledges the oil and gas industry's role in funding New Mexico's social safety net.
But she said the surging revenue comes at the cost of higher prices.
"I'm not happy about that because it's caused people a lot of heartache," Haaland said.
Chris Flores, a volunteer for Hull's campaign, believes strongly in the candidate's proposal to eliminate income tax, starting with the lowest income New Mexicans.
"I'll be able to pay off the biggest debt that I've ever had," said Flores, who lives in Albuquerque. She meant the student loans that have prevented her from fixing up her house and saving for retirement.
Rodriguez is skeptical of the tax break plan and wonders how the state will make up for lost income. Still, he says Democrats have "mismanaged" New Mexico's persistent problems, and it's time for a Republican to set the state's political agenda.
Journeyman plumber Alfred Lujan blamed Republicans for rising prices, and said it costs him $150 to fill up his work truck with diesel. He said Haaland understands what it means to live on a tight budget.
"She's had setbacks in her life and she's come back from that," the 47-year-old Albuquerque resident said. "That's really what makes me gravitate toward her."
At a campaign event in Gallup, Haaland's celebrity status with some Native American voters was on display. She took selfies with students and accepted gifts of handmade jewelry and pottery from supporters.
Generita Francisco and Angela Bahe, both citizens of the Navajo Nation, were attracted to her pledge to help residents enroll in public health benefits. Both said they are priced out of the insurance market and forced to rely on Gallup's aging and understaffed Indian Health Service hospital.
The two women, who left with autographs, have watched Haaland's political rise with pride. But if she's elected, they vowed to hold her to a high standard.
"Everything she's promising, she needs to fulfill it," Bahe said.
Early voting turnout nears 160,000, with Democrats outpacing Republicans at the polls so far
– Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
With less than two weeks left until Election Day, nearly 160,000 New Mexico voters have already cast their ballots in this year’s general election.
At least so far, registered Democrats have been voting at a significantly higher clip than either Republicans or independents.
Entering Wednesday, 91,837 Democrats had cast ballots — making up 57.4% of the total votes cast. That was more than double the 43,327 Republicans who had cast a ballot — or about 27.1% of the total votes cast, according to data released by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office.
That voting split is even larger than Democrats’ structural advantage over Republicans when it comes to statewide voter registration, as about 39% of the state’s more than 1.4 million voters are Democrats and 30.5% are Republicans. The bulk of the remaining voters are independents who have declined to affiliate with a political party.
For more information on this story, visit the Albuquerque Journal website.
Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook
– Mikella Schuettler, Associated Press/Report For America
A judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant.
Facebook's deception was intentional and executives consistently misled users about how the platform worked, state District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew wrote in his ruling.
"Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false," he said.
Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws for making misleading public statements about how it handled users' personal data. The case was brought after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook data to generate targeted political ads during the 2016 election season.
The award will serve as a warning to tech companies that New Mexico will hold them accountable, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez said at a news conference.
"This judgment should be a signal, an unambiguous message, to Silicon Valley," he said.
Meta said the ruling and Torrez's office's approach to enforcement "makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico."
"At its core, this lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to enforce new rules for what people can say online. We are confident we will prevail on appeal," C.J. Mahoney, the company's chief legal officer, said in a statement.
The Menlo Park, California, company has a market value of $1.8 trillion and brought in more than $200 billion in revenue last year. Company shares traded 2% higher after Wednesday's announcement, and it was scheduled to report its quarterly earnings later in the day.
In August, Meta reached a settlement with nearly all states and territories — except New Mexico and Florida — to pay $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
The settlement ended a trial over teen social media addiction and resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children's mental health. The effort targeted features designed to grab young people's attention.
New Mexico didn't join the multistate settlement, choosing to go after the company on its own.
The director of a nonprofit that supports stronger policies toward corporations said $25 billion is "a drop in the bucket for Meta," but demonstrates people want accountability.
"Right now, they are rolling out Muse, an AI assistant encouraging people to trust it with everything from their bank accounts to their medical information," added Nidhi Hegde, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project. "Which is why we need more enforcers with courage and laws with actual teeth to rein them in."
At the trial, attorneys for the state cited a 2010 Washington Post op-ed in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the company didn't sell user data.
"You have control over how your information is shared," Zuckerberg said. "We do not and never will sell any of your information to anyone."
New Mexico officials sought fines of $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing the company would only change if its stock price were impacted.
Meta's lawyers, meanwhile, asserted that the state failed to prove the company made misleading statements and that content moderation actually harmed people in New Mexico. They wanted the company to pay $3.4 billion at most and said an award many times larger would be unconstitutional.
Although interest would accrue on the penalty during the appeal process, Meta could succeed in reducing the number of violations for which it is found liable.
The $25 billion award far exceeds a $5 billion fine the Federal Trade Commission levied against Facebook in 2019.
Peter Ormerod, an associate law professor at Villanova University, was surprised by the size of the New Mexico judgment because previous legal settlements over Cambridge Analytica were much lower.
"It comes out to about $12,000 per person in New Mexico," he said. "It's quite unlike anything else we've seen."
Under the New Mexico Constitution, fines for violating consumer protection laws go toward education spending. It could take years for the state to get the money while the company appeals.
The trial focused on accusations Facebook deceived users about a breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to Cambridge Analytica. The now-defunct firm's clients included Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Attorneys for New Mexico argued that the state's entire population was deceived, and that Facebook allowed misinformation or violent content to proliferate.
Meta's lawyers argued the state failed to prove people were harmed by deceptive statements. Zuckerberg in a video deposition denied that Facebook profited off harmful content and said the company had to balance free speech with content moderation.
In a partial win for the company, jurors rejected assertions that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meta lawyers said it has changed policies since the lawsuit was filed in 2021 and catches and removes an estimated 99% of content violating its standards.
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This story was updated to correct the spelling of the judge's last name.
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Associated Press reporter Matthew Brown and Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report. Schuettler is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
