Fact check: What were the differences between legal and illegal immigration statistics during Trump's first term?

1. Summary of the results

During Trump's first term (2017-2020), there was a significant overall decrease in both legal and illegal immigration, with Census Bureau data showing the foreign-born population dropping from 13.7% to 13.2%, representing a 60% reduction in immigrant inflow compared to the previous decade ^[1]. However, this trend wasn't consistent throughout his term - illegal immigration showed initial drops after taking office but these decreases were not sustained ^[2]. A notable peak occurred in May 2019 with 132,800 migrant encounters ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• Economic Impact: As of 2023, immigrants contributed significantly to the US economy, paying $652 billion in taxes and wielding $1.7 trillion in spending power ^[4].
• Policy Implementation: Trump pursued aggressive immigration policies, including attempts to end birthright citizenship and implementing military border missions ^[4].
• Comparative Analysis: When comparing administrations, the removal rates between Trump and Biden were surprisingly similar (51% vs 47%) ^[5].
• Immigration Patterns: Research suggests that immigration trends fluctuate regardless of administrative policies, influenced by various factors including weather, policy changes, and geopolitical shifts ^[2].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself might suggest that immigration patterns can be directly attributed to presidential policies, which oversimplifies a complex issue. Several potential biases should be noted:

• Political Narrative: Trump has characterized illegal immigration as an "invasion" ^[4], which could skew public perception of the actual statistics.
• Statistical Context: Current statistics show there are 47.8 million immigrants in the US (14% of the population), including over 13 million undocumented immigrants ^[4], suggesting that immigration patterns are part of a larger, long-term demographic trend rather than solely the result of any single administration's policies.
• Selective Data Usage: Different political groups might cherry-pick specific timeframes or statistics to support their narrative. For example, focusing on the initial drops in immigration under Trump without acknowledging the later increases ^[2] could present a misleading picture.