Oversight Project Files Second Suit for Deportation Data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2026
Washington, D.C.– Despite an influencer campaign to convince the American people that a mass deportation campaign was underway, the Department of Homeland Security still has not released deportation data. This cover-up has become a scandal and patriotic Americans have lost confidence in the Trump Administration’s willingness to enforce the law, particularly if it hurts the corrupt special interest lobby that relies on illegal labor. Yesterday, President Trump took to left-wing media on 60 Minutes to announce his intention to explore an amnesty deal on behalf of illegal aliens.
Oversight Project President Mike Howell has publicly predicted this would unfold this way for years. The inflated deportation numbers would be used to convince some people that enough has been done, or as President Trump said, been “too tough.” Notably, Howell has accurately called out that deportation numbers are in-fact low due to the unwillingness to enforce the law at worksites such as farms and factories. In the recent mid-term elections, voters across party lines noted that political corruption is a top issue.
In July, the Oversight Project sued for the release of such data. The only release so far is a completely redacted two-pager on “voluntary self-departures.” Currently, the Department of Justice is using taxpayer money to continue defending the Department of Homeland Security in withholding that information in this case, despite many claims being made to the press regarding figures of deportation without supporting data. The July lawsuit concerned data up until May 2026, and today’s action is the fulfillment of our promise to litigate until detailed deportation data is released to the public, as it should be.
Today’s filing comes one day after President Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes that his deportation policy “might be too tough” and that the policy had contributed to Republicans losing control of the House and Senate in last week’s midterm elections. In the same interview, the President said he could work with the incoming Democratic Congress on an immigration deal that would deport criminals but let other illegal aliens who have worked here and paid taxes remain in the country. That is amnesty by another name. And it rests on a premise the Administration has never backed up with data. The government cannot claim it went “too tough” on deportations when the true numbers have not been released.
There have been many claims made by the government and a network of influencers inflating and conflating deportation figures. The public deserves the truth about President Trump’s signature campaign promise to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” Voters who returned President Trump to the White House on that promise were owed results and receipts. Instead they got inflated talking points, a fully redacted two-pager, and now talk of amnesty.
This investigation and litigation followed the Mass Deportation Coalition’s playbook release on March 30, 2026 which laid out a series of policy recommendations to deport at least 1 million illegal aliens in calendar year 2026 so that progress could be established towards deporting all illegal aliens in the United States. Two of the five key principles of the Mass Deportation Coalition directly relate to this initiative: regular and complete data transparency as well as meaningfully defining ICE interior removals as the standard for deportation claims.
Mike Howell, President of the Oversight Project and a leader of the Mass Deportation Coalition, offered the following quote:
“When politicians talk about ‘immigration reform’ they mean: amnesty, cheap labor and open borders. It's nothing more than a giveaway to the corporate patrons who run both parties. If you agree with what I just said, remember that it is the exact same thing Trump said in 2015, I just changed some of the nouns. The Trump Administration doesn’t need a thing from the incoming Congress to keep the promises made to the American People for the largest mass deportation operation in American history. No one believes the fake numbers that have been used to justify any sort of accomplishment on this front. That’s why I’m suing again and I expect it to be obstructed again. The real numbers are there and they are in Obama-territory. The continued cover-up proves it.”
Jeff Clark, Vice President of Litigation at the Oversight Project:
“It is completely unacceptable to float amnesty talks and claim the Administration went 'too tough' when the American people have still not been given the basic, unalloyed data regarding actual interior deportations. Transparency isn’t optional, and voters who elected President Trump on his signature promise deserve receipts, not political happy talk. We are heading back to federal court because the public has a right to the truth, and we will not rest until the actual deportation numbers are fully disclosed.”
Read the exclusive from the Daily Caller here: https://dailycaller.com/2026/11/10/deportation-data-oversight-project-lawsuit-trump-dhs-homeland-security-redacted-docs-mike-howell/
Op-eds from President Mike Howell:
Stephen Miller has the keys. Now what about the deportations?
Trump’s Mass Deportation Promise Needs Receipts
‘Phase one’ was quality control. ‘Phase two’ needs to be quantity control.
Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations
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