Fact check: How many illegal aliens were allowed i n the country under Trump first term

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided do not directly answer the question about how many unauthorized immigrants were "allowed in" during Trump's first term (2017-2021). However, they provide relevant data about the unauthorized immigrant population during that period.

According to Pew Research Center estimates, the unauthorized immigrant population remained relatively stable during Trump's first term, with the total population at 11.0 million in 2022, growing from 10.5 million in 2021 ^[1]. The data shows the unauthorized population from Mexico specifically continued its long-term decline during Trump's first term, dropping to 4.0 million in 2022 - the lowest number since the 1990s, down from a peak of 6.9 million in 2007 ^[1].

Border encounters data indicates approximately 527,000 border encounters occurred in 2017 ^[2], though this represents attempted entries rather than successful entries or people "allowed in."

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question contains a significant conceptual gap - it asks about people being "allowed in" when discussing unauthorized immigration. The analyses reveal that:

• The question conflates different immigration categories - unauthorized immigrants by definition are not "allowed in" through legal processes
• Current Trump administration policies are actually focused on expanding deportations and detention, with plans to deport a record number of people and expand detention capacity to at least 116,000 beds ^[3]
• The administration is actively working to increase the unauthorized population by revoking legal status for over 900,000 people, including those from the CHNV parole program, potentially increasing the unauthorized population by 2.7 million by 2045 ^[4]

Immigration enforcement organizations and detention facility operators would benefit financially from expanded enforcement policies, as the current bill allocates $170 billion for border and immigration goals, including $45 billion for detention centers ^[3].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains several problematic elements:

• The term "illegal aliens" is politically charged language - the analyses use more neutral terms like "unauthorized immigrants"
• The framing suggests Trump "allowed" unauthorized immigrants into the country, when the data shows his administration focused on enforcement and the unauthorized population remained relatively stable
• The question implies a policy of permitting unauthorized entry, when immigration agents during Trump's early months averaged only about 778 arrests per day, and 61% of the 93,818 people deported had no criminal convictions ^[5]

The question appears designed to suggest policy failure rather than seeking factual information about immigration statistics during the specified period.