Fact check: How many illegal aliens were allowed into the country under Biden

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the Biden administration has overseen significant numbers of migrant encounters and entries since taking office in January 2021. The Committee on Homeland Security reports that CBP recorded more than 10.8 million encounters nationwide since the start of Fiscal Year 2021, including more than 8.72 million at the Southwest border, with roughly 2 million known gotaways ^[1].

However, encounters do not equal permanent entries. The Migration Policy Institute indicates that over 5.8 million migrants were paroled in or otherwise allowed entry to pursue asylum applications and other immigration cases as of July 2024 ^[2]. This same source notes that the administration carried out 8.6 million migrant encounters from January 2021 through October 2024, with many being repeat crossers ^[2].

The BBC reports that over two million people were expelled using Title 42 authority between January 2021 and May 11, 2023 ^[3], demonstrating that not all encounters resulted in entry into the United States. More recently, CBS News reported that migrant crossings dropped dramatically to 56,400 in July, the lowest level in nearly 4 years, with more than 100,000 migrants deported or returned to Mexico or their home countries since President Biden's partial ban on asylum claims took effect ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the distinction between encounters, entries, and permanent admissions. The Migration Policy Institute notes that the Biden administration's approach at the U.S.-Mexico border has been criticized by both liberals and conservatives, and that efforts to restore order at the border have been complicated by record irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and other migrants ^[2].

The question also omits the legal framework under which many migrants entered. Many of the 5.8 million individuals were paroled in to pursue asylum applications and other immigration cases ^[5], meaning they entered through legal processes, albeit temporary ones, rather than being "allowed in" as permanent residents.

Political actors from both parties benefit from framing immigration numbers differently: Republicans benefit from emphasizing total encounter numbers to argue for stricter border policies, while Democrats benefit from highlighting expulsions and recent decreases in crossings to demonstrate border security efforts.

The question fails to acknowledge that many encounters involve repeat crossers ^[2], meaning the same individuals may be counted multiple times in encounter statistics, inflating the apparent number of unique individuals.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The term "illegal aliens" in the original question carries loaded political connotations and may not accurately describe all individuals in the statistics, as many entered through legal processes like asylum applications or parole programs.

The phrase "allowed into the country" oversimplifies the complex immigration process and conflates temporary entries (such as asylum seekers awaiting hearings) with permanent admissions. The question implies that all encounters resulted in permanent entry, which contradicts the evidence showing over two million expulsions under Title 42 ^[3] and over 100,000 recent deportations or returns ^[4].

The framing suggests that the Biden administration actively "allowed" all these individuals in, when in reality, many entries occurred through existing legal frameworks for asylum seekers and other immigration processes, while others were expelled or deported.