What are the facts on illegal immigrants entering the US under the Biden administration? Did he "open the floodgates" and let in 20 million as many Americans believe?

1. What supporters of the “20 million” number are actually claiming—and why it matters

Advocates of the 20 million figure frame their claim as a cumulative count of people unlawfully entering the country during the Biden presidency, implying a policy-driven mass admission. The core assertion is a political shortcut that conflates several distinct metrics—CBP encounters, inadmissibles, expulsions, and estimations of so‑called “gotaways”—into a single tally cited as immigration “admissions.” CBP’s public numbers show more than 10.8 million encounters since FY2021, with 8.72 million at the Southwest border, which contradicts the 20 million aggregate claim and demonstrates that different datasets are being mixed ^[1]. The distinction matters because an “encounter” can represent repeated attempts by the same person, a single person turned away, or an apprehension followed by an expulsion rather than lawful admission or long‑term residence, so raw encounter totals cannot be equated to permanent illegal immigration without further evidence ^{[1] [2]}.

2. What CBP data actually shows: encounters, inadmissibles, and enforcement trends

CBP’s enforcement statistics document a spike in encounters starting in FY2021, peaking in different quarters and reaching nearly 3 million inadmissible encounters in FY2024, but they also show fluctuations and a recent decline in total enforcement actions from 3.2 million in FY2023 to about 2.9 million in FY2024. These figures reflect operational contacts, not net new unauthorized residents. CBP reported a record 2.3 million encounters in 2022 and acknowledges an estimated over 1 million “gotaways” who evaded apprehension, but those are estimates and distinct from recorded entries or settled populations ^{[2] [1]}. Counting encounters without accounting for expulsions under Title 42, deportations, asylum processes, or repeat attempts overstates how many people have entered and remained.

3. Why demographic estimates contradict the 20 million claim

Independent demographic research from organizations like the Migration Policy Institute shows roughly 46.2 million immigrants in the U.S. in 2022, the majority of whom are in the country legally; there is no sudden 20 million surge attributable solely to the Biden years. Increasing encounters at the border contribute to immigration flows, but population-level estimates reflect arrivals, departures, status adjustments, and enforcement outcomes across many years ^[3]. The absence of a matching jump in the foreign‑born population consistent with an extra 20 million undocumented people strongly suggests the 20 million figure is a political exaggeration rather than a demographic fact, because such an influx would produce observable and measurable changes in census and survey data.

4. The “gotaways” and repeat‑encounter problems: why raw encounters can mislead

Law enforcement encounters and “gotaway” estimates complicate counting. CBP acknowledges that “gotaways” are not fully captured in arrest or inadmissible counts and that some individuals cross multiple times or attempt re‑entry after expulsion, so a single person can generate multiple encounters. Different agencies and oversight bodies highlight this nuance: the House Homeland Security Committee emphasized rising encounter totals and projected 10 million nationwide encounters in a fiscal year, but those projections do not distinguish unique persons from repeat contacts ^[4]. Counting unique individuals requires additional data linking biometric records, immigration proceedings, and final dispositions—data that is incomplete and does not support a neat 20 million unique entrants figure.

5. The bigger policy context and what’s left out when invoking “floodgates” rhetoric

Policy changes under the Biden administration—such as pausing wall construction and reversing prior travel restrictions—are real and have shaped enforcement priorities, but policy shifts do not automatically equate to a deliberate admission program or a one‑time mass influx of 20 million people. Multiple structural push factors—violence, economic instability in origin countries—and pull factors—labor demand, migrant networks—explain much of the increased migration pressure, while operational decisions and pandemic-era rules like Title 42 influenced how many encounters resulted in expulsion versus processing ^{[5] [6]}. Political actors use terms like “opened the floodgates” to signal policy blame; however, data‑driven analysis requires separating encounter counts, demographic trends, enforcement outcomes, and policy drivers—and none of the validated datasets show an uncontested 20 million illegal entries attributable to the Biden administration ^{[1] [3] [2]}.