For decades, U.S. presidents from both parties have enforced immigration laws by deporting millions of illegal immigrants. Yet the level of public fury and media frenzy has been strikingly inconsistent.

Under Bill Clinton, the administration oversaw approximately 12 million repatriations (mostly border returns) over eight years. George W. Bush followed with around 10 million. These were massive numbers, driven by strengthened border policies and workplace enforcement, but they barely registered as national controversies. No widespread protests erupted in major cities, and legacy media outlets treated them as routine enforcement rather than humanitarian crises.

Barack Obama earned the label "deporter-in-chief" from some critics after removing more than 5 million people—peaking at over 400,000 in a single year. His policies shifted toward formal removals and prioritized criminals, yet large-scale, sustained protests remained limited. The media coverage was muted compared to later eras, with little emphasis on family separations or community disruptions.