- Border encounters: Southwest border Border Patrol apprehensions fell to roughly 99,000 in FY2026 (a ~95% drop from Biden-era peaks of 1.8–2.2 million annually), with the first full fiscal year of zero Border Patrol releases and 17 consecutive months of zero releases by late 2026. Nationwide encounters also hit historical lows.
- Interior enforcement and removals: ICE arrests rose sharply (quadrupling or more in some analyses), including large increases in people without criminal convictions. Formal deportations and returns reached hundreds of thousands in the first 18 months (reports cite figures around 620,000–980,000 depending on definitions and inclusions of voluntary departures), higher than recent prior years but below the administration’s 1 million-per-year goal and historical peaks (e.g., ~1.86 million in 2000).
- Other: Reduced refugee and legal immigration pathways; increased detention capacity utilization.
Supporters and administration officials credit the policies with historic border security gains, deterrence of illegal entries, and increased removals of unauthorized immigrants. Critics highlight family separations’ lasting harm, due-process concerns (especially with wartime statutes), aggressive street operations that produced high-profile incidents (including fatal shootings in Minneapolis that prompted tactical adjustments), expansion of enforcement to non-criminals, labor-market effects, and public backlash that contributed to 2026 midterm losses for Republicans. Many policies faced court injunctions. Miller has also influenced non-immigration areas, including tariffs, opposition to diversity initiatives, transgender-related policies, and aspects of foreign policy (e.g., Caribbean interdiction efforts).As incoming Chief of Staff (effective November 9, 2026), he is expected to intensify these priorities, relying more heavily on executive action amid a Democratic-controlled Congress. His impact has been transformative on U.S. immigration enforcement—shifting it toward greater restriction and interior mass removal—while generating sustained legal, humanitarian, and political debate.