Fact Check: How many immigrants crossed the border during Biden’s

1. Summary of the results

The exact number of border crossings during Biden's term requires careful distinction between different metrics:

There were approximately 6.5 million border encounters through October 2021 ^[1], which increased to 7.2 million by January 2024 ^[2], and reached 8.8 million nationwide by January 2024 ^[3]
Of these encounters:

2.5 million people were released into the U.S. with notices to appear ^[1]
Over 2 million were expelled using Title 42 ^[4]
Approximately 50.9% of all encounters resulted in expulsion or repatriation ^[2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual points are often omitted:

The number of "encounters" does not equal unique individuals, as the same person can be counted multiple times ^[2]
There are varying estimates of "gotaways":

660,000 in fiscal 2021 ^[1]
Over 1 million since Biden took office, with potentially 1-2 million more unknown ^[5]

The Biden administration continued Trump-era border policies initially, including Title 42 expulsions ^[4]

A new executive order allows swift deportations when migrant encounters exceed 2,500 per day ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself can lead to misinterpretation:

Claims of "over 10 million people" entering have been rated as False by fact-checkers ^[3]
Conservative sources tend to emphasize "gotaways" and potential unknown crossings to suggest higher numbers ^[5]
Immigration advocacy groups might focus on the number of expulsions and returns (over 3.6 million) to demonstrate strict enforcement ^[3]
The comparison showing three times more encounters under Biden than Trump ^[2] requires context about policy changes and global migration patterns

Past Checks