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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is the Biden administration claiming progress in dealing with the influx of migrants at the southern border?

Friday, May 7, 2021

By Lisa Freedland

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YES

In an April 30 interview with NBC, President Biden asserted that his administration has made progress in managing a surge in the number of unaccompanied minors taken into custody after being apprehended crossing the border. “We've now gotten control,” he said, when asked about the record numbers.

The number of unaccompanied minors in the custody of the Border Patrol dropped 88% between late March and early May, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The average stay for unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody has dropped from 130 hours in March to 20 hours. Families have also begun to be reunited.

In April the overall number of migrants apprehended at the border remained high. Two news organizations, citing Border Patrol sources, report that the number in April was only slightly lower than March’s 172,000, but showed signs of leveling off.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Today (NBC) President Biden talks about spending, race, pandemic, immigration in an exclusive interview

Rev Transcript of Biden interview on ‘Today’—discussion begins at 05:20

CBS News Number of unaccompanied migrant children held by border patrol falls 88% in 5 weeks

AP News US begins reuniting some families separated at Mexico border

Washington Post Border crossings leveling off but remain near 20-year high, preliminary April data shows

Fox News Border numbers show migrant encounters stayed high but leveled off in April - source

US Customs and Border Protection Southwest Land Border Encounters

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.