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Please note!
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 If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Is there definitive evidence that the Trump Administration’s expanded border wall has deterred illegal immigration?

By Austin Tannenbaum
NO

It’s hard to measure the impact of the Trump administration's expanded border wall on immigration patterns. Most of the added wall was only built this year and, according to a 2017 government audit, authorities lack metrics to measure its efficacy. Furthermore, it’s difficult to isolate the wall’s effect from other recent factors such as the lagging U.S. economy and movement restrictions brought on by the coronavirus.

While Department of Homeland Security data show that "illegal border crossings have decreased in areas where barriers are deployed,” overall numbers remain high. Apprehensions of undocumented entrants did fall in fiscal year 2020 (401,651) from 2019 (851,508) but remained higher than in 2017 (303,916) and 2018 (396,579). After hitting an April low, crossings are again on the rise with increases of 9% in September and 35% in October relative to last year's monthly totals.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
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 If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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