A recent New York Times report confirmed that the Biden administration oversaw the highest net immigration numbers in U.S. history, more than half of which is due to illegal immigration.
After consulting Congressional Budget Office data, Times senior writer David Leonhardt reported that 2021 through 2023 had the highest pace of immigrant arrivals since the founding of the country.
“Annual net migration — the number of people coming to the country minus the number leaving — averaged 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Total net migration during the Biden administration is likely to exceed eight million people,” Leonhardt wrote.
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A New York Times report confirmed that President Biden oversaw a record high for net immigration in U.S. history. ((Photo by John Moore/Getty Images))
Leonhardt also disclosed that these numbers include both legal and illegal immigration and cited a Goldman Sachs report that states that 60 percent of this influx are illegal immigrants.
Throughout his 2024 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump zeroed in on Americans’ concerns over high illegal immigration, a strategy that boosted his support especially among those affected by border crossings, even in Democratic areas.
Trump has pledged to target non-citizens who have been convicted of crimes and the 1.4 million immigrants who are still in the U.S. despite receiving a formal order of removal from a judge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) numbers provided to GOP lawmakers in September revealed that there are more than 7 million illegal immigrants who are not detained but awaiting, or going through, the process of being removed from the U.S.
The data says that, among those not in detention, there are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 with pending criminal charges.
Sources with Customs and Border Protection told Fox News Digital that between Dec. 1 and December 31, 2023, more than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border – the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It is also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.
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Border patrol agent Pete Bidegain looks from a hilltop on the U.S. side of the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
As The New York Times report noted, these immigration records have contributed to the country having the highest foreign-born population it has ever had.
The combined increases of legal and illegal immigration have caused the share of the U.S. population born in another country to reach a new high, 15.2 percent in 2023, up from 13.6 percent in 2020. The previous high was 14.8 percent, in 1890,” Leonhardt stated.
The analysis also described the factors leading to these record numbers, namely President Biden’s immigration policy.
“Several factors caused the surge, starting with President Biden’s welcoming immigration policy during his first three years in office. Offended by Donald J. Trump’s harsh policies — including the separation of families at the border — Mr. Biden and other Democrats promised a different approach.”
Leonhardt continued, “After taking office, his administration loosened the rules on asylum and other immigration policies, making it easier for people to enter the United States. Some have received temporary legal status while their cases wend through backlogged immigration courts. Others have remained without legal permission.”
External factors were also mentioned by Leonhardt.
“Turmoil in Haiti, Ukraine and Venezuela caused desperate people to flee their home countries.” he wrote. “The growth of smuggler networks run by Mexican drug cartels allowed more people to reach the U.S. border.”
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U.S. Border Patrol vehicles take away groups of vulnerable immigrants, including unaccompanied minors who had crossed over from Mexico, in May 2023 in El Paso, Texas. Castillo reportedly crossed into the U.S. in this area in September 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Still, he added that Biden’s policies were the “biggest” contributor here: “But the Biden administration’s policy appears to have been the biggest factor: After Mr. Biden tightened enforcement in June, the number of people crossing the border plummeted.”
Leonhardt then noted multiple “downsides” that come with this record net immigration, namely, “the pressure on social services and increased competition for jobs.”
“On the flip side, higher immigration can reduce the cost of services and help Americans, many with higher incomes, who do not compete for jobs with immigrants,” he added.
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Trump’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
