Fact check: Number of border crossings between 2017 and 2021

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, Southwest Land Border encounters increased dramatically between 2017 and 2021. The data shows that encounters reached 1,956,519 in FY 2021, representing a significant increase from FY 2017 levels ^[1]. The broader enforcement statistics reveal that total CBP enforcement actions peaked at 2,766,582 in FY 2022, indicating the upward trend continued beyond 2021 ^[2].

However, the analyses reveal a stark contrast in recent years, with migrant encounters falling to levels not seen since the 1960s by 2025. In April 2025, the U.S. Border Patrol reported intercepting fewer than 8,400 irregular crossers, a dramatic decrease from the record high of nearly 250,000 encounters in December 2023 ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement lacks several crucial pieces of context:

• Policy changes significantly impacted these numbers - the analyses indicate that changes in Biden administration policies and increased Mexican enforcement at the northern border contributed to the recent dramatic decline in encounters ^[3].
• The data encompasses different categories - the sources distinguish between encounters, apprehensions, and inadmissibles, as well as Title 8 and Title 42 statistics, which provide different perspectives on border activity ^{[1] [4]}.
• Regional migration patterns - while focusing on border crossings, the analyses also reveal broader migration trends, such as the South gaining approximately 253,000 people from inter-regional migration in 2021, while the Northeast lost about 227,000 people ^[5].
• Historical context is missing - the recent low numbers represent a return to levels not seen in decades, suggesting the 2017-2021 period represented an anomaly rather than a typical trend ^[3].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement appears incomplete rather than misleading, as it simply requests data without providing specific claims. However, potential issues include:

• Lack of definitional clarity - the statement doesn't specify whether it refers to encounters, apprehensions, successful crossings, or other metrics, which can lead to different interpretations of the same data ^[1].
• Missing temporal context - by focusing solely on 2017-2021, the statement omits the dramatic policy-driven changes that occurred afterward, which are essential for understanding the broader immigration enforcement landscape ^[3].
• Absence of policy attribution - the analyses suggest that administrative policies and international cooperation significantly influence these numbers, context that political actors from different parties would benefit from emphasizing or downplaying depending on their positions ^[3].