Is it true that Trump expelled 20,000 gang members during his administration?

President Donald Trump said this week from the border that divides Mexico and the United States that during his administration they had deported almost 20,000 gang members, almost a quarter of them belonging to the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang.

Although his numbers are not far from the truth, his claim lacks context. 

On January 12, from a small podium built next to the border wall in Alamo, Texas, Trump: "We have removed nearly 20,000 gang members from the United States, including 4,500 members of MS-13."

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According to official data, in fiscal year 2017, the United States deported 5,396 members or suspected of belonging to gangs.

Of these, almost 900 were identified as from the Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13.

In fiscal year 2018, the country expelled 5,872 gang members or suspected gang members.

Of the total, 1,332 were accused of being MS-13.

In fiscal year 2019, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) deported 5,497 gang members or suspected of being part of these groups, including 450 members of the Mara Salvatrucha. 

The funeral of young Justin Llivicura, in East Patchogue, New York, on April 19, 2017. His death was attributed to MS-13 gang members.

The gang was held responsible for at least a dozen deaths on Long Island.Frank Eltman / AP

Lastly, ICE's annual report for fiscal year 2020, which ended on September 30, maintains that 4,276 gang members or suspected gang members were expelled from the country that year, 675 from MS-13.  

According to these numbers, between fiscal years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 - the four complete fiscal years of the Trump administration - ICE withdrew from the country a total of 21,041 people proven or suspected of belonging to gangs, including 3,360 from the Mara Salvatrucha . 

That would mean that the number of deported gang members would be even higher than Trump mentioned, although the expelled MS-13 members would be far fewer than the president's indicated. 

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However, ICE includes in its gang expulsion figures not only those who have proven to be gang members, but also "suspects."

This means that many immigrant boys who have simply adopted the MS-13 style of dress or signs, but are not in the gang, may end up in the hands of ICE, as a ProPublica investigation revealed.

Three Los Angeles cops face charges for accusing immigrants of being gang members

Aug. 12, 202001: 00

This is not the first time that Trump has exaggerated the number of deportations of members of the Mara Salvatrucha.

In a speech in May 2018, the president said that they were being “thrown out by the thousands”, something that now seems exaggerated if one takes into account that in four years in power, his Administration did not expel even 3,000 gang members. of MS-13.

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