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 If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.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

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

By Austin Tannenbaum
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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.
Sources
NPR: Status of border wall construction in early 2020
Customs and Border Protection: Border wall system
Government Accountability Office: Southwest Border Security—CBP Is evaluating designs and locations for border barriers without key information
Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus pandemic slows illegal migration to US
Pew Research Center: Migrant apprehensions at US-Mexico border fell sharply in fiscal 2020
Department of Homeland Security: Border Wall System is deployed, effective, and disrupting criminals and smugglers
Customs and Border Patrol: Southwest border encounters through Oct. 2020 (first month of fiscal 2021)
Customs and Border Patrol: Total illegal alien apprehensions by month, 2000-2019
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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.