Copilot
The best available estimates indicate that since
President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, there have been:
- Over 10 million migrant encounters at the U.S. border, with about 8 million of those at the southwest land border with Mexico
- Of these, approximately 2.5 million people have been released into the U.S. after initial processing, while 2.8 million have been removed or expelled
Important Notes:
- The term "encounters" includes both people who crossed illegally and those who were deemed inadmissible at ports of entry.
- These numbers do not represent unique individuals, as some may have attempted to cross multiple times.
- The figures also do not include "gotaways"—individuals who crossed the border undetected. Estimates for this group vary and are less reliable.
So while
10+ million encounters have occurred, the number of
unauthorized migrants who have entered and remained in the U.S. during Biden’s term is
likely between 2.5 and 3.3 million, based on current government data and estimates