Nearly 400,000 people were deported from the United States in the past fiscal year , the largest number in the history of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency , the government announced Tuesday . The year-end removal numbers `` underscore the administration 's focus on removing individuals ... that fall into priority areas '' such as lawbreakers , threats to national security and repeat violators , the agency said in a news release . Overall in fiscal year 2011 , immigration officials said , 396,906 individuals were removed . Of these , 216,698 , nearly 55 % , had been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors . That 's an 89 percent increase of criminals from three years ago , the enforcement agency said . `` This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide ; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses ; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes ; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence , '' it said . The percentage was even higher for some regions . In the sector that covers Houston , Beaumont and Corpus Christi , Texas , about 74 % of the 20,450 removals were of people with criminal records , said Gregory Palmore of the agency 's Houston office . `` Smart and effective immigration enforcement relies on setting priorities for removal and executing on those priorities , '' said agency Director John Morton . `` These year-end totals indicate that we are making progress , with more convicted criminals , recent border crossers , egregious immigration law violators and immigration fugitives being removed from the country than ever before . Though we still have work to do , this progress is a testament to the hard work and dedication of thousands of ICE agents , officers and attorneys around the country . '' The government said 90 % of the agency 's removals fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators . The American Civil Liberties Union reacted to the announcement by again criticizing the Obama administration 's emphasis on deportations . `` All told , this administration has deported nearly 1.2 million people , leaving a wake of devastation in Latino communities across the nation , '' Joanne Lin , ACLU legislative counsel , said in a news release . `` These record-breaking deportation numbers come at a time when illegal immigration rates have plummeted , the undocumented population has decreased substantially and violent crime rates are at their lowest levels in 40 years . '' Lin also said the deportations represent `` uncontrolled , unwarranted '' spending of taxpayers ' money by the Department of Homeland Security , of which the immigration agency is a part . The department 's chief , Secretary Janet Napolitano , last week defended the administration 's polices as she gave advance notice that this fiscal year would end with a record number of removals . `` What ... critics will ignore is that while the overall number of individuals removed will exceed prior years , the composition of that number will have fundamentally changed , '' she said in a speech at American University . The Department of Homeland Security more than a month ago announced that the government would review about 300,000 deportation cases pending in federal immigration courts . Lower-priority cases -- those not involving individuals considered violent or otherwise dangerous -- would be suspended under the new criteria . That change drew criticism from the other side of the immigration issue , with some people who favor more deportations characterizing it as a back-door amnesty program aimed at skirting the nation 's immigration laws . Napolitano said the approach is a common-sense way to tackle immigration problems with limited resources . `` There has never been , nor will there be in these tight fiscal times , sufficient resources to remove all of those unlawfully in the country , '' she said last week . `` That is why it is so important to set clear priorities . ''
Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the numbers reflect a focus on priority offenders . Nearly 55 % had been convicted of one or more , it says . ` ` These year - end figures indicate that we are making progress , '' Director John Morton says .