Fact check: How many immigrants entered the us year by year for 20 years

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that none of the sources provide the specific year-by-year immigration data requested for the past 20 years. While several authoritative sources were examined, they offer only partial or aggregate information:

• The Department of Homeland Security's Yearbook of Immigration Statistics contains data on foreign nationals entering the United States during fiscal years, but the analysis confirms it does not provide the specific year-by-year breakdown requested ^[1]
• Migration Policy Institute sources provide current snapshot data, such as the approximately 47.8 million immigrants residing in the US as of 2023 ^{[2] [3]}, and information about 1.9 million migrants with temporary statuses under the Biden administration ^[4]
• Pew Research Center and American Immigration Council sources offer demographic characteristics and general trends but lack the comprehensive annual entry data sought ^{[3] [5]}
• Available data does identify top countries of origin, with Mexico consistently ranking first, followed by Cuba, India, and China in various categories ^{[2] [3]}

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes that comprehensive year-by-year immigration entry data is readily available and standardized, but the analyses reveal significant data collection and reporting complexities:

• Different immigration categories are tracked separately - lawful permanent residents, temporary workers (H-1B, H-2A), refugees, asylum seekers, and those with temporary protected status each have distinct data systems ^{[6] [4]}
• Fiscal year vs. calendar year reporting creates inconsistencies in how immigration data is presented across different agencies and organizations
• Political motivations influence how immigration data is presented and interpreted. Organizations like the American Immigration Council emphasize positive economic impacts ^[5], while other sources focus on administrative challenges or public opinion polling ^[7]
• Policy changes across administrations affect both immigration flows and data collection methods, making longitudinal comparisons challenging. The Biden administration's use of executive authority resulted in record numbers of temporary status holders ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question, while seemingly straightforward, contains several problematic assumptions:

• Oversimplification of immigration categories - the question treats "immigrants" as a single, uniform category when U.S. immigration law recognizes dozens of different visa types, temporary statuses, and pathways to permanent residence
• Implies data accessibility that doesn't exist in the requested format. The analyses show that while immigration data is collected by multiple agencies including USCIS and DHS, it's not compiled in the simple year-by-year format requested ^{[1] [6]}
• Lacks specificity about what constitutes an "immigrant" - whether referring to new lawful permanent residents, all foreign-born arrivals, or net migration figures, which are fundamentally different metrics
• The framing could inadvertently support anti-immigration narratives that focus solely on entry numbers without context about economic contributions, family reunification, or humanitarian obligations that drive immigration policy

The question would be more accurately framed by specifying the type of immigration status and acknowledging the complexity of U.S. immigration data collection systems.