Quick Hit:
President Joe Biden claimed during his "big boy" NATO press conference Thursday that border crossings are lower now than when former President Donald Trump left office. However, data reveals this assertion to be false, with higher numbers of illegal immigrant encounters reported under Biden's administration.
Key Details:
At a NATO press conference Thursday, President Biden stated that border encounters have significantly decreased and are currently lower than when Trump left office.
NBC News reported 84,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended at the border in June 2024, compared to 75,000 in January 2021 when Trump left office.
While June 2024 saw the lowest numbers of Biden's presidency, these figures do not account for the many who entered via Biden's CBP One parole pipeline, introduced in early 2023, which has facilitated the entry of millions.
Diving Deeper:
According to a Breitbart report, President Joe Biden's recent claims at a NATO press conference about reduced border crossings were quickly debunked. Biden asserted, “So I took executive action last month. As a consequence, working with Mexico, border encounters have gone down over 50 percent. The current level is lower today than when Trump left office.” However, this statement does not align with the data.
NBC News reports that 84,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended at the U.S. border in June 2024. By comparison, there were 75,000 migrant encounters in January 2021, when former President Donald Trump left office. Biden’s statement omits the significant number of foreign nationals entering through the CBP One parole pipeline, a system established in early 2023 under his administration. This pipeline has allowed millions of foreign nationals to enter the U.S. legally.
Additionally, data from fiscal year 2020 shows considerably lower numbers of border encounters compared to any month during Biden’s tenure. For example, there were 16,182 encounters in April 2020 and 21,593 in May 2020. By December 2020, the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, border apprehensions had reached 70,630.
The Heritage Foundation estimates that over ten million illegal aliens have entered the U.S. during Biden’s administration. This figure starkly contrasts with Biden’s claims of reduced border encounters.