Then vs. Now: Where were they in 2012?
Under President Obama, DHS formally removed 3,062,466 people in FY2009–FY2016. Removals peaked in FY2013 at 432,334, and there were another 2.19 million returns. Here is how that era was received, and what the same people say now. Full figures are on By the Numbers.
There was criticism then. Mostly from the left.
- “Deporter-in-chief.” Janet Murguía of the National Council of La Raza, Mar 4, 2014: “For us, this president has been the deporter-in-chief.” UnidosUS
- #Not1More. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s campaign used fasts and bus blockades to demand that Obama halt deportations. It held an April 5, 2014 day of action marking an estimated 2 million deportations. NBC News
- Jorge Ramos (Univision/Fusion). In a Dec 2014 interview he told Obama he had deported more than two million people and “destroyed many families.” Transcript (American Presidency Project) · NYT Taking Note
- The 2014 child-migrant surge. In mid-2014 the government was processing tens of thousands of unaccompanied children at centers in Nogales, Ariz., and Brownsville, Texas. KPBS/AP
- The “kids in cages” photos. Associated Press photographer Ross D. Franklin took them at the CBP center in Nogales on June 18, 2014. In May 2018, former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau and former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa shared them as if they showed current Trump-era detention. Favreau deleted his tweet and posted a correction. AP Fact Check · PolitiFact
Side by side
| Who | Then (2009–2016) | Now (2025–2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | Nov 20, 2014, address to the nation: “Felons, not families. Criminals, not children.” He also said “deportations of criminals are up 80 percent.” White House archive | Feb 2026: “The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous.” AFP |
| Chuck Schumer | June 24, 2009, Georgetown/MPI speech: “Illegal immigration is wrong — plain and simple.” He also argued against the phrase “undocumented workers.” Speech text (archived) | Jan 2026, on the Renee Good video: “there seemed no justification for what these agents did.” The Hill |
| Kamala Harris | Dec 4, 2012, as California attorney general: issued a bulletin telling local agencies that ICE detainers under Secure Communities are requests, not commands. CA DOJ · LA Times | Jan 7, 2026: called the administration’s account of the Renee Good shooting “pure gaslighting.” TheGrio |
| Amy Klobuchar | June 27, 2013: voted for S. 744, the Senate’s comprehensive immigration bill. It included a path to citizenship and a large border-enforcement surge. Senate roll call 168 | Jan 7, 2026: “these ICE actions are doing the opposite and making our state less safe.” Sen. Klobuchar |
| Tim Walz (U.S. House, 2007–2019) | No public statement on deportations from 2009–2016 found in our search. | Jan 14, 2026: “Armed, masked, under-trained ICE agents are going door to door.” KTTC |
What was different (to be fair)
- Stated priorities. The 2014 Johnson memo focused enforcement on national-security threats, serious criminals and recent border crossers, and directed discretion for others. DHS memo · White House fact sheet
- DACA (2012). It deferred deportation for eligible people brought to the U.S. as children. DHS memo, June 15, 2012
- Where removals happened. In the Obama years, a large share of removals came from the border or from jails through programs like Secure Communities, which the administration replaced in 2014. Current operations involve large interior deployments in cities, which ProPublica and others have documented. White House fact sheet (Secure Communities replaced) · ProPublica, 2026
- Removals vs. returns. Obama-era totals include many border cases. Counting methods have also changed over time (see Table 39 notes). DHS OHSS Table 39