In a striking reflection of immigration challenges facing the United States, recent data analysis indicates that the number of unauthorized border crossings since President Joe Biden assumed office has surpassed the individual population counts of more than half the states.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics reveal an unprecedented figure of approximately 7.3 million migrants reported to have crossed the southwest border without authorization during President Biden’s tenure. This number is greater than the populations of 36 states, according to an analysis by Fox News.
The analysis draws its conclusions from CBP figures, which show that in the current fiscal year alone—commencing in October and ending in September—there have been 961,537 border encounters. This ongoing fiscal year’s figures stand in addition to the record-breaking counts from the prior year, which noted 2,475,669 encounters along the southwest border. Notably, this single-year figure exceeds the population of New Mexico, a state directly impacted by border issues.
To put the scale into perspective, the total number of encounters since 2021 is higher than the population of several states combined, including but not limited to Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, and Maryland. The startling comparison underscores the magnitude of migration experienced at U.S. borders and the implications for border security and immigration policy.
