Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high at the end of 2023
The U.S. Border Patrol had nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico in December 2023.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The U.S. Border Patrol had nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico in December 2023.
Majorities of White Christian groups say the large number of migrants seeking to enter at the border with Mexico is a “crisis” for the United States.
The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States reached 10.5 million in 2021. That was a modest increase over 2019 but nearly identical to 2017.
Just 23% of Americans say the government is doing a good job dealing with the large number of people seeking asylum at the border, while 73% say it’s doing a bad job.
As the debate over the future of Title 42 unfolds, here are answers to key questions about the immigration policy.
There are sizable ideological differences over the most pressing priorities for the U.S. immigration system within each partisan coalition.
The number of international migrants grew to 281 million in 2020; 3.6% of the world’s people lived outside their country of birth that year.
The U.S. Border Patrol reported more than 1.6 million encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the 2021 fiscal year.
An estimated 940,000 immigrants became U.S. citizens during the 2022 fiscal year. That annual total would be the third-highest on record.
Since Joe Biden took office in 2021, his administration has acted on a number of fronts to reverse Trump-era restrictions on immigration.
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