Trump's deportation numbers lag well behind those of Obama, even as his arrest numbers reach new records.

The claim that Trump's deportation numbers lag behind Obama's is supported by multiple sources. According to NBC News and MSNBC ( and 8), the Trump administration faced challenges in meeting deportation targets and increasingly relied on encouraging immigrants to 'self-deport' rather than forcibly removing them. AOL explains that while arrest numbers under Trump reached new records, the actual deportations did not keep pace with those during the Obama administration, who had higher overall deportation figures.

The New York Times also notes that despite aggressive policy changes aimed at increasing deportations, the Trump administration's numbers did not surpass Obama's totals. This indicates a nuanced situation where arrests increased but deportations did not exceed previous records, aligning with the claim.

Therefore, the claim is mostly true as it accurately reflects the comparative deportation and arrest trends under Trump versus Obama.