Behind the Numbers: New FAIR Analysis Examines Biden Policies That Have Resulted in Record-Setting Illegal Immigration

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Border encounter figures for President Biden's first year in office are out and they are alarming. For the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, which encompassed the first nine months of the Biden presidency, 1.74 million people were encountered at the border – a 380 percent increase from FY 2020, the last full year of the Trump administration.

A new analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) takes a look behind these record-setting numbers to determine why illegal border crossings grew exponentially during Biden's first nine months in office, and why the border crisis is likely to persist. While the media and policymakers may only focus on the overall encounter numbers, FAIR's analysis examines Biden administration policies and their impacts that have incentivized the unprecedented numbers of people attempting to enter the country illegally.

• Reinstatement of catch-and-release policies. In FY 2020, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released 14,154 migrants who were apprehended at the border and given Notices to Appear (NTAs) for a future hearing. In FY 2021, CBP released 285,347 migrants with NTAs, a 2,000 percent increase in the number of illegal border crossers who were allowed to enter the U.S. More than 50,000 additional illegal aliens were simply released without NTAs under President Biden.
• Overwhelmed border resulted in more people evading apprehension. With CBP manpower diverted to processing record numbers of illegal border crossers, the number of people successfully eluding capture grew four-fold from a little over 100,000 in FY 2020 to about 400,000 in FY 2021.
• American taxpayers foot the bill. Migrants who are released into the country by CBP cost taxpayers billions every year, so do those who enter the country without being caught. These so-called "got aways" will cost taxpayers approximately $3.6 billion. When this figure is combined with the cost of migrants who were apprehended and then released, the Biden Border Crisis will cost American taxpayers a net of $6.6 billion annually.

"The American public sees what is going on at the border and they are alarmed. But it is important for the public to understand why there has been such a dramatic worsening of the situation at the border," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "The chaos along the border is no more transitory than inflation, despite what the president and his spokespeople might say. It is not due to external factors beyond the administration's control. Ongoing mass illegal immigration is the policy of the Biden administration and every action that has been taken since January 20 demonstrates that unchecked migration is their objective.

"The number of people surging across our border has been well-reported. This new analysis by FAIR sheds light on the reasons behind the crisis. While Vice President Kamala Harris continues to search for 'root causes' of this crisis in Central America and elsewhere, FAIR's report makes it clear that the most important root cause can be found at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Stein concluded.

The full report 2021 Year in Review: Biden's Immigration Numbers Reveal Record Failures, Costs and Risks to Americans can be found here.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR 

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

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SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)