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Border crossings during each administration
Executive summary
Border encounters and apprehensions have fluctuated strongly across recent administrations: CBP data and news reporting show very high encounter totals under the Biden administration (millions of encounters, daily peaks above 10,000) and sharp declines reported after the 2024–25 policy shifts under President Trump, including historic monthly and FY lows in 2025 (for example, nearly 238,000 southwest border apprehensions in FY2025 and monthly lows in mid‑2025) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Different outlets and government statements emphasize different metrics (encounters, apprehensions, “gotaways,” parole appointments), producing competing narratives about whether the border “crisis” was solved or simply redefined by policy choices [5] [6] [1].
1. Numbers move — and reporters and officials pick different ones
The basic reporting shows large swings: analyses find roughly 6.4 million encounters outside ports of entry during the Biden years to date, with yearly averages far higher than earlier administrations [1]; news organizations reported daily peaks topping 10,000 on some days in late 2023 [2]. By contrast, DHS and Trump administration releases claim unprecedented lows in 2025 — monthly nationwide encounters and Border Patrol apprehensions cited as the lowest ever, and a figure of about 238,000 southwest border apprehensions in FY2025 [3] [4]. Which headline you see depends on whether a source emphasizes yearly totals, single‑day peaks, “gotaways,” releases, or later monthly declines [1] [5] [3].
2. Metrics matter — “encounters,” “apprehensions,” “gotaways,” and parole
Immigration reporting uses multiple measures that are not interchangeable. “Encounters” count each person Border Patrol meets; “apprehensions” are formal captures; “gotaways” are observed crossings without identification; and parole or legal‑pathway admissions (like CHNV parole) are counted differently. The Christian Science Monitor analysis highlights 6.4 million encounters outside ports of entry under Biden, and high “gotaway” totals in 2021 [1]. Congressional committee materials and DHS statements focus on parole and app‑based legal appointments as part of the policy picture [7] [5]. Comparing administrations requires attention to which metric is being compared [6].
3. Timing and policy change explain some swings
Multiple sources link changes in totals to policy shifts and extraordinary events. PBS and AP reporting point to pandemic policies (Title 42) and to rises and falls at different moments in both presidencies — e.g., steep drops after Trump’s early actions in 2017 and again during COVID restrictions, then later increases under both administrations at different times [6] [8] [9]. The Trump administration’s 2025 messaging credits aggressive enforcement, military deployment, and new restrictions for June–July 2025 lows; CBS and White House summaries report that months in early 2025 produced the lowest annual totals since the 1970s [2] [4].
4. Claims and fact‑checks — where sources disagree
Fact‑checking outlets and independent reporters push back on simplified claims. PBS and FactCheck.org both show that short‑term percentage drops trumpeted by political actors can misstate the context (for example, claiming a 95% drop when the data show different baselines) and that Trump’s final months in 2020 actually recorded higher apprehensions than some claims imply [6] [10]. Meanwhile, DHS and the Trump White House have repeatedly framed mid‑2025 figures as historic lows and framed prior administrations as having “released” large numbers — assertions that other outlets examine with data caveats [5] [3] [10].
5. What reporting does not settle — net migration and who remains
Available sources document encounters, apprehensions and program counts but do not definitively show the net number of people who successfully remain in the U.S. after crossing, nor do they resolve how many attempted repeat crossings account for totals; the Monitor and others note that “encounters” can include repeat attempts and that estimating net unauthorized population is complex and not settled in these reports [1]. Congressional fact sheets and DHS statements cite program enrollments and seizures [7] [5], but available reporting here does not provide a single reconciled “net inflow” figure.
6. How to interpret competing narratives
Political actors use select metrics to support different narratives: one emphasizes historical lows in monthly or FY totals in 2025 and credits new policies [3] [4]; critics and fact‑checkers stress earlier peaks, methodological caveats, and the role of pandemic and asylum‑processing changes in driving year‑to‑year shifts [6] [10] [8]. Readers should compare the same metric across the same timeframes, check whether “encounters” include repeats, and note whether counts include legal parole entries or only interdictions [1] [7].
Conclusion — concise takeaway
Reporting and official releases agree that border activity rose to very high levels during parts of the Biden years and declined markedly in mid‑2025, but they disagree about causes and how to frame the change; the choice of metric (encounters, apprehensions, gotaways, parole admissions) drives much of the dispute [1] [3] [6]. For a clearer apples‑to‑apples comparison, consult the underlying CBP data series cited by multiple outlets and watch for whether figures reflect single events, monthly totals, fiscal years, or distinct program enrollments [1] [11].