There have already been a million self-deportations.

The claim that "there have already been a million self-deportations" implies that one million unauthorized immigrants have voluntarily left the United States without formal deportation proceedings. Breaking down the claim, it rests on two components: the number (one million) and the nature of departure (self-deportation, i.e., voluntary exit without formal removal by authorities).

Evidence from official sources and immigration experts shows that while the Trump administration and subsequent policies have emphasized enforcement and encouraged voluntary departures, there is no verified data confirming that one million people have self-deported. For example, ICE defines self-deportation as leaving the country voluntarily without turning oneself in to authorities.ice.govice.govSelf-Deportation However, PBS notes there is no reliable data on the number of such departures, and historical precedents show that public backlash can cause some migrants to leave but not at such a large scale.pbs.orgpbs.orgSome immigrants are already leaving the U.S. in 'self-deportations' as Trump's...

Some media reports cite workforce exits or population declines among unauthorized immigrants during enforcement-heavy periods, but these do not equate directly to documented self-deportations. For instance, an NDTV article references a report claiming a million foreign-born workers exited the workforce since March under Trump-era policies,ndtv.comndtv.com1 Million Illegal Immigrants 'Self-Deport' Under Trump, Wages Rise: Report but this conflates labor force participation with actual physical departure from the country. TIME reports official deportations numbering around 139,000 by April in one year, far below one million removals.americanimmigrationcouncil.orgamericanimmigrationcouncil.orgMass Deportation

Migration Policy Institute analysis highlights that the unauthorized immigrant population remains large (estimated at 13.7 million in mid-2023) and that mass deportations or self-deportations at the scale of one million have not been documented.migrationpolicy.orgmigrationpolicy.orgIn First 100 Days, Trump 2.0 Has Dramatically Reshaped the U.S. Immigration...migrationpolicy.orgmigrationpolicy.orgCan the Trump Administration’s “Self-Deportation” Campaign Succeed? The American Immigration Council notes that historically, U.S. Deportations have never exceeded half a million per year, including formal removals.

In summary, while some migrants may choose to leave voluntarily due to enforcement pressure or fear, credible evidence does not support the claim that one million have self-deported. The figure appears to be an overstatement or misinterpretation of related data such as workforce exits or enforcement targets. Therefore, the claim is misleading because it presents an unverified number as fact without sufficient evidence.