During a recent press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shared some surprising numbers. She showed a graph that listed how many Mexicans had been deported back to Mexico by different U.S. presidents. According to her data, the president who deported the most Mexicans wasn’t President Trump—it was Bill Clinton.
Let’s break down what she said. From 1993 to 2001, during Clinton’s time in office, over a million Mexicans were deported in just one year alone—2000 saw 1,150,906 deportations. That is a massive number. To give you a sense of scale, that’s more than the entire population of some major U.S. cities.
Next in line was Barack Obama. In his first year in office, 2009, he deported 601,356 Mexican nationals. That’s over half a million in one year. Again, that’s no small number. Despite being praised by many for his so-called “progressive” stance on immigration, Obama’s record tells a different story. Many on the left called Trump “anti-immigrant,” but the numbers don’t lie — Obama and Clinton deported far more people than Trump ever did.
Now let’s look at President Trump’s record. During his second term, Mexico only saw 86,017 deportations. That’s a huge drop compared to Clinton and Obama. Why the big difference? President Sheinbaum explained that under Trump, fewer migrants were even crossing the border. She said there was a “very important reduction” in people trying to get into the U.S. after Trump made the call to shut down asylum programs that were being abused.
As a veteran who’s served this country and seen firsthand what happens when borders aren’t secure, I can tell you that Trump’s approach made sense. He didn’t just deport people after they got here—he stopped many from coming in the first place. That’s what real leadership looks like. It’s not about rounding people up after the fact; it’s about preventing illegal entry before it happens.
This shift in behavior from Mexico’s leadership is also worth noting. President Sheinbaum used to be a tough critic of Trump’s immigration policies. In fact, back in 2019, she condemned U.S. immigration raids and said her government didn’t support detaining people who were working honestly in America. That kind of talk may sound nice on paper, but it ignores the fact that illegal immigration comes with real costs—financial, cultural, and even national security risks.
Her earlier comments led to real problems. In California, violent protests broke out. Some of those protesters targeted American ICE agents. That’s unacceptable. These agents are doing their jobs, enforcing the law, and protecting our borders. When foreign leaders like Sheinbaum stir up emotions and encourage lawlessness, it puts those brave men and women in danger.
Thankfully, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called her out on it. She didn’t sugarcoat it—she told the truth. That kind of backbone is what we need in Washington and at our borders.
What’s most telling in all this is that the media and left-wing politicians never seem to mention Clinton or Obama when talking about deportations. They love to paint Trump as the bad guy, but the facts don’t support their story. Trump’s policies didn’t just cut down on illegal immigration—they also reduced the need for mass deportations. That’s smart policy.
As a veteran, I take national security seriously. A country without borders is no country at all. And we should never apologize for enforcing our immigration laws. That’s not racism—it’s common sense.
So next time someone tells you Trump was too harsh on immigration, remember this: Clinton and Obama sent back hundreds of thousands more people. Trump secured the border so fewer had to be deported. That’s the truth, whether the mainstream media likes it or not.
