What are expedited removals?
When the US deports unauthorized immigrants, most of them are entitled to an administrative removal process that guarantees access to a lawyer and the opportunity to present their case in immigration court. But sometimes those processes are bypassed under what’s called “expedited removal.” So what is that, and how often does the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use it?
- The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 created the process of expedited removal. Specifically, it allows the government to bypass hearings for immigrants who were not admitted by authorities and who had been in the US for less than two years. For years, DHS used a limited scope for these removals, focusing on unauthorized immigrants who:
- Arrived at ports of entry without entry documents,
- Entered by sea without formal admission and who had been in the country for less than two years, or
- Were apprehended within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of entering without admission.
- Arrived at ports of entry without entry documents,
- In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the DHS expanded the practice to the full extent authorized by the law so that any unauthorized immigrants who had been in the country less than two years were eligible for expedited removal. The DHS rescinded this in 2022 under the Biden administration but reestablished it in January 2025 when Trump returned to office.
- The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) previously released monthly data on expedited removals, but it hasn’t released that report since January 2025. That edition contained November 2024 data. There hasn’t been a report to account for the policy changes DHS made a little over a year ago.
- From 2014 to 2024, DHS used expedited removal to deport between 10,000 and 20,000 people each month. (There were exceptions during the national COVID-19 emergency, when monthly expedited removals ranged from about 1,200 to 6,400.
- Fiscal year 2024, the year before the policy expansion, was a record year for expedited removals: DHS removed 193,520 immigrants under the statute. That’s more than any other year in OHSS’s record, which spans back to 2014.
Ask an Analyst: The full affordability picture
Ever read something from USAFacts and think, “How did they find this info?” Our new series, Ask an Analyst, takes you on our team’s data journeys. Join them as they scour government sources for facts that answer readers’ most pressing questions.
In this installment, Nicole dives into the metrics behind the concept of “affordability.” (It’s more than just inflation!) They’re called Regional Price Parities, Nicole spends way too much time thinking about them, and she says it’s time you do too. Join the journey
And a correction: last week, we mistakenly linked to the wrong article for Chris’s explanation about job number revisions. We apologize. Here’s the correct link.
How much does the average American earn per week?
Average weekly earnings reached $1,275 in January 2026. That’s part of a long-term upward trend that’s been going on since the end of the Great Recession. But averages can shift with economic conditions, and they differ widely by industry and state. Let’s look at the data.
- In January 2026, information sector workers had the nation’s highest average weekly earnings at $2,017. Mining and logging followed ($1,850), then financial activities ($1,822). Leisure and hospitality workers had the lowest at $596 per week.
- Wages varied by state, too. In December 2025, Washington state had the highest average weekly wage at $1,502. Mississippi had the lowest at $988.
- Adjusting for regional cost-of-living differences, Washington also had the highest average weekly wage: $1,403. New Mexico has the lowest at $1,097.
- Visit USAFacts.org to view the average wage in your state (and keep it handy for annual performance reviews).
Data behind the news
Seven US service members have died in the strikes in the strikes in Iran. See the data on military members who have died in the line of duty.
On February 25, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it would freeze $259.5 million earmarked for Medicaid in Minnesota while it investigates allegations of fraud in the state.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which began on February 14, continues due to a lapse in funding tied to disagreements in Congress over immigration enforcement policy. In FY 2024, DHS spent $89.3 billion, funding agencies including FEMA, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Ready for the weekly fact quiz?
One last fact
Nineteen states have opted to observe daylight saving timepermanently. But these changes can only take effect if Congress changes federal daylight saving time laws.
The Sunshine Protection Act, which would move the US to permanent daylight saving time, has been introduced to Congress in 2018, 2021, and 2025, but has failed to pass.
