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Immigration border crossings Trump vs Biden eras
Executive summary
Border “encounters” recorded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection rose sharply after President Biden took office, peaking at multi‑million annual counts (CBP recorded about 3.2 million encounters in 2023), compared with highs under Trump of roughly 1.4 million in 2019 [1]. Reporters and analysts stress that comparisons depend on which metrics and time windows you use—encounters, “gotaways,” apprehensions, expulsions under Title 42, and deportations tell different stories—and that policy changes on both sides influenced flows [1] [2] [3].
1. How reporters define “border crossings”: encounters, apprehensions, gotaways
The main government metric is CBP “encounters” — each time an agent or officer processes or records a migrant — which can include repeat attempts by the same person; other tracked figures include Border Patrol apprehensions and “gotaways” (people observed but not stopped), and none measure the unambiguous net number of new unauthorized residents in the U.S. [2]. For example, reporting notes nearly 400,000 gotaways in FY2021, more than double the highest annual total under Trump, while CBP encounters under Biden were far larger than during Trump’s term [2].
2. Big-picture year-to-year numbers and peaks under Biden vs. Trump
Multiple outlets measured much higher monthly and annual encounter totals during Biden’s term: Newsweek reported CBP recorded about 3.2 million encounters in 2023 versus 1.4 million in Trump’s highest year, 2019 [1]. Migration Policy Institute analysis summarized roughly 9.4 million encounters from FY2021 through February 2024, which it says is more than three times encounters under Trump for comparable periods [3].
3. Why the raw counts rose: policy choices, pandemic rules, and enforcement shifts
Analysts emphasize that policy and enforcement context matters: pandemic-era Title 42 expulsions, the suspension or reinstatement of programs like “Remain in Mexico,” and shifts in asylum rules altered incentives and processing capacity, affecting encounter counts and expulsions in different years [1] [2]. Migration Policy notes that combining deportations and Title 42 expulsions produces very large repatriation totals for the Biden years — nearly 4.4 million by one count — underscoring that “higher encounters” does not equal a free pass into the interior [3].
4. Short-term comparisons can mislead: different windows, rate vs. absolute totals
Fact‑checkers caution that comparing short slices (e.g., a president’s first week) to full-year averages produces misleading impressions; PBS flagged a White House social post that mixed daily averages from different timeframes and therefore overstated some changes [4]. News outlets similarly note that monthly or single‑month lows/highs should be seen in a broader trend context, not as definitive proof of long‑term success or failure [5] [4].
5. Enforcement and outcomes: deportations, releases, and “0 releases” claims
Deportation and expulsion measures have varied: Migration Policy recorded about 1.1 million deportations from FY2021 through Feb 2024 — on pace to match Trump’s four‑year deportation total of 1.5 million — and counted about 3 million Title 42 expulsions during the pandemic period, mostly under Biden [3]. Government releases and later statements during subsequent administrations highlight sharp declines in reported releases and monthly encounters, but those administrative claims rely on agency operational definitions and selected time windows [6] [7].
6. Recent declines under Trump’s second term and contested interpretations
Some 2025 reporting and government statements say southern border crossings fell to levels not seen since the 1970s after aggressive Trump policies and enforcement actions; CBS, BBC and DHS releases cited record lows in FY2025 and monthly data showing much smaller apprehension counts [8] [9] [10]. Analysts who attribute declines to policy deterrence point to asylum restrictions and stepped‑up enforcement; others emphasize that the Biden administration’s earlier 2024 asylum limits and increased Mexican cooperation played roles in the downtrend that predates or overlaps with some 2025 measures [9] [5].
7. What the numbers do not settle and where reporting disagrees
Available sources do not publish a single, undisputed “net arrivals who stayed” metric, so numbers cannot definitively prove how many new unauthorized migrants remain long‑term [2]. Sources disagree on attribution: some journalists and think‑tank analysts say Trump’s policies in 2025 produced the sharpest declines [9] [10], while other reporting stresses that flows began falling earlier, after Biden’s 2024 asylum restrictions and Mexican enforcement stepped up [5]. Fact‑checkers warn about cherry‑picked timeframes that amplify political narratives [4].
8. Takeaway for readers: compare like with like and watch metrics, not slogans
To evaluate “Trump vs. Biden” fairly, compare identical metrics over similar timeframes (e.g., fiscal years of CBP encounters or deportations) and account for policy drivers like Title 42, parole programs, and enforcement capacity. Reporters and analysts provide concrete figures — 3.2 million CBP encounters in 2023, 1.4 million in Trump’s 2019 peak, nearly 400,000 gotaways in FY2021, and about 1.1 million deportations through Feb 2024 — but interpretation depends on which figures and windows you privilege [1] [2] [3].