Since President Joe Biden assumed office in January 2021, there have been indications that more than 10 million people may have entered the United States illegally.
This revelation comes from Center Square, a prominent conservative website in the United States.
Criticism of President Biden’s border policy has been mounting since the early days of his presidency, marked by a significant surge in migrant arrivals through the Mexican border.
Currently, Republican presidential candidates and lawmakers are strongly criticizing the Biden administration for its perceived failure to secure the southern border.
This pressure has led to a reconsideration of the decision to terminate the border wall project initiated during the Donald Trump era.
Consequently, in early October, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to erect an additional 20 miles of barriers along the Rio Grande in southeastern Texas.
Recently released data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicates that over 900,000 migrants were released into the country during fiscal year 2023, marking the third consecutive year of record-high illegal border crossings under President Biden.
Center Square, a project of the Franklin News Foundation, a conservative online news organization, estimates that the number of individuals entering the US illegally has now exceeded a staggering 10 million since President Joe Biden assumed office in January 2021.
The basis for this estimate is drawn from official US CBP data for fiscal years 2020-2023.
Considering the CBP reported figures of 3,201,144 apprehensions in fiscal 2023; 2,766,582 in fiscal 2022; 1,956,519 in fiscal 2021; and 471,954 during the first nine months of the Biden administration in fiscal 2020, the total number of officially recorded apprehensions stands at 8,396,199.
However, it is important to note that this figure does not account for “gotaway data,” which the CBP does not disclose to the public.
Nevertheless, Center Square claims to have obtained these numbers from a Border Patrol agent, who shared the data on condition of anonymity.
Therefore, the conservative media outlet estimates that the minimum number of individuals who evaded capture and crossed the border between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2023, could be at least 1,678,979.
The report underscores the gravity of this situation, emphasizing that this number surpasses the individual populations of 41 US states.
In fact, only nine states—California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina—have estimated populations greater than 10 million.
Furthermore, the report raises concerns that among those crossing the border illegally, thousands are suspected terrorists, as well as individuals involved in drug and human trafficking, according to the conservative news outlet.
The ongoing border issue compounds President Joe Biden’s declining approval ratings. President Biden, who announced his reelection bid in April, has seen his approval rating among fellow Democratic Party members drop by 11 percentage points since September, currently standing at 75%.
His overall approval rating has declined to 37%, as indicated by a recent Gallup poll.