Illegal aliens entering USA during Obamas presidency
Executive summary
Illegal entries and the undocumented population under Barack Obama trended downward overall while the administration simultaneously increased formal removals and prioritized criminal and recent border crossers for deportation—moves that produced both record removal counts early in his tenure and sharp political debate about who counted as a deportation and who was protected [1] [2] [3].
1. The numbers: fewer undocumented people, but contested counts
Multiple government and academic sources show the undocumented population stopped growing during the Obama years and, by some estimates, fell—the Department of Homeland Security and contemporaneous White House statements reported that illegal border crossings were cut by more than half and that the undocumented population had stopped growing [1] [4], while the Center for Migration Studies documented a sharp fall in the undocumented population through 2016 and cited DHS assessments that the southwest border had become “more difficult to illegally cross” [5].
2. Apprehensions and crossings: peaks, troughs and spikes in children arriving
Border apprehension trends were uneven: while the administration pointed to declines and historically low levels compared with the 1970s [1] [4], fact‑checks and reporting note spikes at specific times—particularly surges of unaccompanied children in 2012–2014—and month‑to‑month variability in Border Patrol apprehensions that complicate simple comparisons across presidencies [6] [7].
3. Enforcement strategy: from voluntary returns to formal removals
A central shift under Obama was procedural: DHS moved away from informal voluntary returns toward placing more recent border crossers into formal removal proceedings and, in many cases, criminal prosecution for illegal entry or re‑entry—an approach designed to increase penalties and deterrence rather than quietly returning people across the border [3].
4. Removals rose early and were heavy on criminals
The administration recorded unprecedented removal totals in years like FY2010, when DHS announced more than 392,000 removals and emphasized that roughly half of those removed were convicted criminals, reflecting programs such as Secure Communities and expansions of biometric sharing between local jails and federal immigration authorities [2] [3].
5. Policy complications: priorities, program changes and political framing
Obama-era policy refined enforcement priorities—targeting recent crossers and noncitizens with criminal records—and later replaced Secure Communities with softer prioritization programs such as the Priority Enforcement Program, prompting critics to say dangerous offenders were released while supporters argued resources were being focused [3] [8]. Political actors and think tanks also disputed aggregate counts: the conservative Center for Immigration Studies argued millions joined the undocumented population under Obama [9], a figure disputed by migration scholars and government statements [5] [1].
6. Humanitarian and civil‑liberties critiques
Civil‑liberties organizations and some reporting documented abuses and criticized Border Patrol conduct and large‑scale enforcement actions during Obama’s years, arguing that detention and removal practices caused harm even as aggregate crossings fell [10] [11]. Conversely, pro‑enforcement messaging and DHS press framed stricter tactics as necessary to reduce crossings and protect public safety [2] [1].
7. Why comparisons across presidencies are tricky
Comparing “illegal entries” across administrations requires caution: definitions vary (apprehensions vs. successful crossings vs. removals), policies like “turn‑backs” or counting Border Patrol turn‑aways as removals can inflate or deflate apparent enforcement success, and monthly spikes—such as late‑term rises in apprehensions—alter headline comparisons between presidents [7] [8]. Fact‑checking outlets and scholars warn against simple tally wars without context [7].
8. Bottom line: fewer crossings, tougher procedures, intense debate
Under Obama, crossings and the size of the undocumented population declined from earlier peaks and enforcement became more formalized and focused on criminals and recent crossers, producing record removal figures and deep political disagreement over counting methods, humanitarian effects, and whether the policies were deterrent, disproportionate, or both; beyond these sourced findings, available reporting does not settle every disputed numeric estimate or every claim about long‑term effects [1] [2] [3] [5] [9].