Data from Customs and Border Protection indicates that under President Biden, illegal immigration surged to levels far exceeding those seen during former President Trump’s administration, contrary to the recent claims regarding Biden’s border policies.
Officials in the Biden administration have highlighted a relatively low number of border apprehensions in June, yet CBP data reflects a dramatic increase in illegal immigration following Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, with no subsequent decline.
Upon entering office in 2016, former President Trump, having focused his campaign on high illegal immigration rates, saw 408,870 crossings recorded by CBP for the fiscal year. This figure remained largely constant during his term, dipping to 303,916 in FY 2017 before rising again to 396,579 in FY 2018.
However, his administration experienced a significant uptick in 2019, which more than doubled to 851,508 before settling at 400,651 in 2020.
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The Biden administration has cited a recent decrease in illegal border crossings in an effort to counter former President Trump’s immigration narrative, yet the data from Biden’s tenure reveals a starkly different situation. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
While the Trump administration faced challenges managing illegal immigration, the numbers they dealt with pale in comparison to the surge of migrants that started flowing into the country just one month after Biden took office, as the data indicates.
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Monthly CBP records from 2021 demonstrate that border apprehensions remained steady in the low 70,000s from October to January. However, February’s data showed an increase to 101,099, and March saw a significant leap to 173,277. By July, apprehensions exceeded 200,000 monthly, establishing a new norm for much of Biden’s presidency.
While illegal immigration figures remained largely stable during Trump’s presidency, they surged significantly following Biden’s inauguration. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)
In total, illegal border crossings surged to 1,734,686 in Biden’s first year, more than quadrupling the previous year’s figures and more than doubling the worst year under Trump’s term. And the trend did not stop there.
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Apprehensions continued to rise, reaching 2.4 million in 2022 and 2.5 million in 2023. The CBP is projected to see similar numbers for 2024, with already 1.8 million apprehensions recorded with three months left in the fiscal year.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and other officials from the Biden administration have pointed to June’s relatively low figure of 130,419 apprehensions as proof of successful measures. In early June, Biden took steps to suspend asylum processing, a move that was celebrated by his supporters.
Vice President Kamala Harris engages with migrants at the southern border. (Getty Images)
“The president has initiated significant executive actions to secure the border. Unlawful crossings have decreased by over 50 percent. This is the president acting independently of Congress — a reduction by 50 percent. These figures are lower now than they were in 2019 and lower than when the previous president left office,” Jean-Pierre stated during a press briefing last week.
Although the comparison of June 2024 with June 2019 may be accurate, it is deceptive considering the total for 2024 has already exceeded the figures from 2019 by twofold.
Moreover, her comparison to Trump’s departure is misleading; June 2024’s total is only lower when compared to March 2021, which saw crossings first soar to over 170,000.
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JD Vance, Trump’s vice presidential candidate, criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s border strategies during his visit to Arizona on Thursday. He ridiculed Harris’ title of “border czar” and promised change if he and Trump were elected.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks to the press during his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in Hereford, Arizona, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (Grace Trejo/Arizona Daily Star via AP)
“It’s astonishing what we are allowing to occur at the southern border due to Kamala Harris’ refusal to fulfill her responsibilities,” Vance commented. “We must halt catch-and-release, ensure asylum seekers remain in Mexico during their claim processing, and finish constructing the border wall while reinstating deportations.”
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“If individuals can enter this country and believe they will never face deportation, then we essentially have an open border. That is what Kamala Harris promised, and that is what she has delivered,” he concluded.
