Oversight Project Obtains Fully Redacted DHS “Self-Deportation” Summary as Deportation Data Blackout Continues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 9, 2026

Washington, D.C.–The Department of Homeland Security finally responded to the Oversight Project’s lawsuit demanding the American People’s deportation data. The first document received had every data field redacted. The two-page “CBP Home Voluntary Self-Departures Summary,” dated September 30, 2026, is redacted in full under FOIA Exemptions (b)(5) (deliberative process or attorney-client privilege) and (b)(7)(E) (law enforcement techniques and procedures). DHS left the agency seal, the title, the date, and one footnote. It withheld every number, chart, and label. These are voluntary redactions.

This is the latest stonewall in the Oversight Project’s deportation data investigation. On May 7, 2026, the Oversight Project launched the Two Commas Compliance Tracker and sent eight FOIA requests to DHS, ICE, and CBP. Those requests included the number of self-deportations through the CBP Home App. When the agencies did not produce the data, the Oversight Project sued in July. In September, we opened a second investigation covering May 2026 to the present. ICE’s FY2025 annual enforcement report is now months overdue.

Oversight Project President Mike Howell gave this statement:

"When DHS uses Obama and Biden policies, they get Obama and Biden deportation numbers. Anyone with a working brain knows 3 million illegals haven't been deported or chosen to self deport. Even the paid influencers who read the same script to say so much know it's not true. The reason why these numbers are redacted is because they're low. The numbers can be high if the Administration starts listening to President Trump's campaign promise instead of the black-pilled, panican consultants and corrupt special interest lobbies who love their illegal workers."

Oversight Project Visiting Fellow for Deportation Studies Scott Mechkowski gave this quote:

“I spent 24 years in federal immigration enforcement. I know what it takes to arrest, detain, process, and remove a person, and I know what our capacity looks like. Three million removals is not possible. The Oversight Project filed a FOIA request with DHS for deportation numbers. They sat on it, then sent back two pages with the categories redacted. That is a slap in the face. Count ICE removals, Border Patrol returns, expedited removals, voluntary returns, CBP Home self-removals, and every verified departure, and it still doesn’t get you there. We aren’t doing worksite enforcement, and there’s no E-Verify, etc. If DHS stands behind three million, release the data. If they can’t, somebody needs to explain why the President is being given numbers that don’t hold up. The people who voted for him were promised enforcement, and they deserve the truth.”

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Read the exclusive story in the Daily Caller here: https://dailycaller.com/2026/10/09/trump-dhs-redacts-deportation-data-oversight-project-mike-howell-scott-mechkowski/