Illegal Immigrant Encounters and Releases During the Biden Administration
The Biden administration (January 20, 2021–January 20, 2025) saw unprecedented levels of unauthorized migration attempts at the U.S. southwest border, primarily measured by "encounters" reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These include apprehensions between ports of entry and inadmissibles at ports of entry. Encounters do not directly equal "entries," as many result in immediate expulsions (especially under the Title 42 public health order, which ended in May 2023) or other repatriations. However, a significant portion—estimated at around 2.5–3.2 million—were released into the U.S. pending immigration proceedings, often with notices to appear in court.
Key Statistics on Encounters
From fiscal year (FY) 2021 (starting October 2020, but Biden's term began mid-year) through FY 2024 (ending September 2024), plus partial FY 2025 data up to January 2025, CBP recorded approximately 10.3 million encounters at the southwest land border. This is more than three times the encounters during the entire Trump administration (FY 2017–2020). Here's a yearly breakdown:
| Fiscal Year | Total Southwest Border Encounters | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 1,734,686 | Includes Title 42 expulsions; partial Biden year. |
| FY 2022 | 2,378,944 | Peak Title 42 usage; ~1.1 million released. |
| FY 2023 | 2,475,669 | Record high; ~1.2 million released. |
| FY 2024 | 2,901,142 | Post-Title 42; encounters dropped after June 2024 executive order limiting asylum. |
| FY 2025 (partial, Oct 2024–Jan 2025) | ~800,000 (est.) | Sharp decline after June 2024 policies; ~47,000 in Dec 2024. |
| Total | ~10.3 million | Excludes ~1.5–2 million "gotaways" (undetected entries). |
- Releases into the U.S.: Of these, ~2.5 million were released with notices to appear (up to October 2023), rising to ~3.18 million inadmissible aliens released by end-2023 (including humanitarian parole programs like CHNV for ~530,000 from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela). By mid-2025, Pew estimated the unauthorized immigrant population reached 14 million, up from ~11 million in 2021, implying a net increase of ~3 million during Biden's term (accounting for departures and prior growth).
- Context: Encounters averaged ~2 million annually (2021–2023), driven by global migration pressures, policy changes (e.g., ending Trump-era restrictions), and smuggling networks. Claims of "20 million entries" are exaggerated, as they conflate encounters with successful entries and ignore removals.
Key Statistics on Deportations/Removals
Deportations, formally "removals" by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), totaled ~1.06 million during Biden's term (FY 2021–2024 full years, plus partial FY 2025). This includes formal removals and does not count ~2.8 million Title 42 expulsions by CBP (which were rapid returns without formal deportation proceedings). ICE removals increased over time, reaching the highest annual total since 2015 in FY 2024, prioritizing criminals (32.7% of FY 2024 removals had criminal histories).
| Fiscal Year | ICE Removals | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 59,011 | Lowest in decades; focus shifted to high-priority threats amid border surge. |
| FY 2022 | 72,177 | ~20% increase; included ~62,000 Title 42 expulsions by ICE. |
| FY 2023 | 142,580 | Doubled from prior year; 73,822 arrests of criminals. |
| FY 2024 | 271,484 | Record high; 88,763 with criminal histories (e.g., assault, homicide). |
| FY 2025 (partial, Oct–Dec 2024) | ~500,000 (est.) | Pre-transition surge; total DHS repatriations ~3.7 million including CBP. |
| Total | ~1.06 million | Excludes CBP expulsions/returns (~2.8 million). |
- Total Repatriations: Combining ICE removals and CBP actions (expulsions, returns), DHS reported ~4.6 million people removed or repatriated from 2021–November 2024. By October 2025, DHS noted over 2 million undocumented migrants had left, including 1.6 million self-deportations and 527,000 formal removals.
- Context: Early low numbers reflected policy prioritizing national security/public safety threats over low-level cases, plus resource strain from border processing. Later increases followed executive actions (e.g., June 2024 asylum limits) and international agreements. Compared to Trump (2.1 million ICE removals over 4 years), Biden's formal removals were lower per year initially but higher overall when including expulsions.
These figures highlight a complex picture: record encounters strained resources, leading to high releases, but enforcement ramped up significantly by 2024. Data is from official DHS/CBP/ICE sources, with estimates for partial years based on trends. For real-time updates, check cbp.gov or ice.gov.
