“President Donald Trump has deported over 13,000 Cubans since he has been in office, his first term and his second term.”
Verdict
🟢Mostly TrueConfidence
Strong, independent, directly relevant evidence.
The claim is supported by a combination of official government data for the first term and credible estimates from Human Rights Watch based on FOIA-released ICE data for the second term, totaling approximately 11,900 to 12,000 deportations as of August 2026, which is close to the 13,000 figure cited.
What We Found
The claim that President Donald Trump has deported over 13,000 Cubans across his two terms is rated as 'Mostly True.' Official government data confirms approximately 3,400 deportations during his first term (2017–2021). While the Department of Homeland Security has not released consolidated official figures for his second term, data analyzed by Human Rights Watch—based on ICE records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request—estimates that approximately 8,500 Cubans were deported between the start of his second term and August 5, 2026. This brings the total to nearly 12,000, a figure that may have increased since the August data cutoff.
Evidence
The claim regarding the number of Cuban deportations under President Donald Trump involves two distinct periods: his first term (2017–2021) and his second term (beginning in 2025). Official data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics confirms that approximately 3,400 Cuban nationals were deported during the first term. For the second term, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have not published consolidated official reports. However, Human Rights Watch, utilizing data from the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy’s Deportation Data Project (obtained via FOIA), estimated that approximately 8,500 Cubans were deported between January 20, 2025, and August 5, 2026. Combining these figures results in a total of approximately 11,900 deportations. Given that the data cutoff for the estimate was August 2026, it is plausible that the total has reached or exceeded the 13,000 figure by the time of the claim in October 2026. Fact-checkers have classified the statement as 'Mostly True' because the figure is supported by the best available data, even if an exact official government tally for the second term remains unpublished.
What's Missing or Misleading
The figure for the second term is an estimate based on FOIA-released data rather than an official, finalized government report from the Department of Homeland Security.
Sources Reviewed (2)
Primary Sources
This fact-check was generated by automated AI research. It has not been examined by a human reviewer.