US deported more than 3M people during Obama presidency. Most did not have chance to plead case in court
Social media posts claimed "75–83%" of people deported during the Obama administration "never saw a judge or had a chance to plead their case."
Aleksandra Wrona
Published May 4, 2025
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.
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.
In April 2025, a claim spread on social media that during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama (2009-2017), 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.
One Facebook post (archived) that included the claim reached over 33,000 reactions, 7,700 comments and 50,000 shares. It read:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-deportations-court/
