US deported more than 3M people during Obama presidency. Most did not have chance to plead case in court
www.snopes.com

... Claim:
During the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, immigration authorities deported more than 3 million people, 75% to 83% of whom did not see a judge or have the opportunity to plead their case.

Rating:
Mostly True

About this rating
Context

According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data from fiscal years 2009 to 2016, more than 3 million individuals were formally removed from the country during the Obama administration.

Annually, between 58% and 84% of these removals were so-called "summary removals" carried out through legal procedures such as "expedited removal" and "reinstatement of removal," which do not involve a hearing before an immigration judge.

On average, about 74% of removals during this period fell into these categories. ...

Fact check: Trump vs. Obama on ICE deaths and deportation (February 11, 2026)
www.dw.com

... President Donald Trump's immigration policies have grown increasingly unpopular, with two-thirds of the United States saying the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have gone too far, according to Marist Poll.

At the same time, social media users argue that Trump is being unfairly singled out. They claim former President Barack Obama oversaw equally harsh enforcement " sometimes citing the number of detainees who died in ICE custody or the total number of deportations carried out.

DW Fact check examined the claims and the data to determine whether the two administrations are truly comparable.
Deaths in ICE custody higher under Trump

Claim: A social media user says there were 56 deaths in ICE custody during the two terms of Democratic US President Barack Obama (2009-2017). Some users insinuated the numbers are similar to deaths under Republican Donald Trump and complained about alleged double standards in public perception.

One post on X with 1,1 million views for example, says "OBAMA ERA: 56 DIE IN ICE CUSTODY, AMERICA SAYS WHATEVER. 56 people died in ICE custody under Obama. What happened you may ask? No riots. No cities on fire. No 'Obama is Hitler' banners. Trump does raids and suddenly it's the end of civilization."

Is this comparison to Trump accurate?

DW Fact check: Misleading ...

The number of 56 deaths under Obama is not entirely correct. The figure of 56 deaths comes from the 2016 report ACLU/DWN/NIJC report "Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention". But the report covers only through early 2016, before Obama's final year in office, which ended only at the beginning of 2017. According to a list from ICE, a total of 67 detainees died during Obama's eight years of presidency (2009"2017).

The number of deaths in ICE custody are already higher under Trump, as the infographic below shows. So far, the count is at 83 deaths. ...

Chart:

Deaths in ICE Custody under Obama vs. Trump
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