Fact check: How many illegal immigrants entered the us during trumps first term

1. Summary of the results

The exact number of illegal immigrants who entered the US during Trump's first term cannot be precisely determined from the available data. What we do know:

• Border apprehensions increased from 303,916 in 2017 to 977,509 in 2019 ^[1]
• By the end of Trump's term, border crossings were 14.7% higher than before he took office ^[2]
• ICE detention numbers increased from 38,000 to 43,000 during this period ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors need to be considered:

• The total number of people living illegally in the US (11 million as of 2022) is a cumulative figure spanning multiple administrations, not just Trump's term ^[1]
• There was a significant shift in enforcement priorities:
• The percentage of detained immigrants with only immigration violations (no criminal record) increased from 6% to 18% ^[3]
• This shift was potentially made to reach higher deportation numbers ^[3]
• For comparison, during Biden's presidency (Feb 2021-Oct), there were:
• 6.5 million border encounters
• 2.5 million people released into the U.S.
• 2.8 million removed or expelled ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself contains potential pitfalls:

• Simply counting border apprehensions does not equal the number of successful illegal entries
• Claims about total numbers can be misleading as they often:
• Don't account for removals and expulsions
• Include multiple encounters with the same individuals
• Don't distinguish between those seeking asylum legally and those entering illegally ^[4]
• Different political groups benefit from different narratives:
• Immigration enforcement agencies benefit from showing higher apprehension numbers to justify increased funding
• Political parties benefit from either inflating or deflating numbers depending on their stance on immigration policy