Nearly 3 million illegal border crossers reported in fiscal 2024

Nearly three million foreign nationals illegally entered or attempted entry into the U.S. in fiscal 2024, according to data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The total reported nationwide was 2,901,142, with 198,929 reported at the northern border and 2,135,005 reported at the southwest border. The data includes Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry, CBP encounters at ports of entry. and Office of Field Operations apprehensions nationwide.

CBP’s fiscal 2024 data, which covers Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 1, 2024, is the second highest reported under the Biden-Harris administration and second highest in U.S. history.

The highest total reported in U.S. history was more than 3.2 million in fiscal 2023, followed by fiscal 2024, fiscal 2022’s more than 2.76 million and fiscal 2021’s 1.95 million. No other administration has reported totals as high as these.

Combined, CBP apprehension/encounter data under the Biden-Harris administration totals 10,553,454 after subtracting the first three months of fiscal 2021, before they took office.

This total excludes more than 2 million who illegally entered and evaded capture, known as gotaways. CBP does not publicly report gotaway data. The Center Square first reported gotaway data in 2021 after receiving it from a Border Patrol agent. Retired CBP officials say the number is higher because gotaway data is underreported by about 20%.

The total also excludes 1,383,000 inadmissables released into the U.S. through two parole programs created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This includes more than 852,000 illegal foreign nationals processed and released into the country through the CBP One App and more than 531,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans deemed inadmissible and released into the country through the CHNV parole program, according to CBP data.

The CHNV program has been directly linked to violent crimes committed against Americans, The Center Square has reported.

The parole total also excludes the number of illegal foreign nationals released into the country through at least another 10 programs Mayorkas created. Federal judges ruled the parole programs are illegal; House Republicans cited them as examples of illegal actions for which they impeached Mayorkas in February.

Despite claims made by the Biden-Harris administration that the millions of illegal foreign nationals released into the country are legally in the U.S., the papers they were given by CBP and other DHS agencies state they are unlawfully present in the U.S. and are required to go before a federal immigration judge at a date set years into the future, The Center Square reported. Numerous DHS Office of Inspector General reports have found that DHS and its subagencies are not vetting illegal border crossers before releasing them into the U.S., including those considered high risk being flown nationwide on commercial flights.

Combined, the number of illegal border crossers under the Biden-Harris administration total roughly 14 million.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, has said the number is at least 16 million. Others say it is much higher.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the majority of illegal border crossers reported every month and every year were single adults, according to the data.

The 2.1 million apprehension total CBP reported at the southwest border in fiscal 2024 is significantly higher than the 1.5 million first reported by The Center Square because it includes CBP port of entry and OFO data. The Center Square’s initial report solely cited preliminary Border Patrol apprehensions at the southwest border received exclusively from a Border Patrol agent.

The nearly 199,000 illegal border crossers apprehended at the northern border in fiscal 2024 is the highest under the Biden-Harris administration and the highest in U.S. history. This is after records were broken at the northern border under the Biden-Harris administration of nearly 190,000 in fiscal 2023 and nearly 110,000 in fiscal 2022 – up from 27,180 in fiscal 2021, according to the data.

In 2021, The Center Square first reported on national security threats posed at the northern border, including the greatest number of foreign nationals on the terrorist watchlist consistently apprehended coming from Canada. Both Canadian officials and U.S. officials have sounded the alarm about the lack of operational control at the U.S.-Canada border posing national security threats; members of Congress have called for greater security measures to be implemented and introduced bills to that effect.

Every month and year, in CBP’s busiest northern border sector, Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents apprehend a record number of illegal border crossers. This past fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, they apprehended foreign nationals from more than 85 countries; total apprehensions outnumbered apprehensions from 13 years combined or roughly 15 U.S. Army battalions, The Center Square reported.

Despite the Biden-Harris administration claiming the number of illegal border crossers is lower than it was under the previous administration, the data the administration published disproves its claims, The Center Square reported.