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FACT BRIEF

Has the Biden administration 'let in' more undocumented immigrants than there are people living in Wisconsin?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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NO

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped about 5.62 million undocumented immigrants attempting to enter the country legally or illegally between January 2021 and January 2023. Wisconsin had an estimated population of 5.9 million in 2022.

Immigrants intentionally "let in" under the Biden administration include those granted asylum or waiting for an asylum hearing. In 2021, the latest data year available, 17,692 people were granted asylum. Currently, 1.6 million asylum seekers are awaiting adjudication.

Additionally, federal law requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement to house unaccompanied migrant children until they turn 18 or can be released to a sponsor. Nearly 130,000 such minors entered the shelter system in 2022, according to CBS.

While it is not possible to measure illegal immigration that has gone undetected, CBP confirmed to Newsweek that in fiscal year 2022, there were an estimated 600,000 "got-aways," or unlawful entrants identified but not apprehended.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Customs and Border Protection Nationwide Encounters
US Census QuickFacts Wisconsin
US Department of Homeland Security Refugees and Asylees: 2021
TRAC Immigration A sober assessment of the growing US asylum backlog
US Department of Health and Human Services Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program
CBS News Nearly 130,000 unaccompanied migrant children entered the U.S. shelter system in 2022, a record
Newsweek Fact Check: Were There 600,000 Southern U.S. Border 'Got-Aways' in 2022?
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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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.