TCT-IMM-001 · Immigration
“21 million people came in” under Biden and Harris
Statement and context
“Twenty-one million people came in under their rule.”
2024-10-18, campaign event, Detroit, Michigan; repeated 2024-10-19 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania as “allowing more than 21 million people into our country.”
What the evidence shows
Even a deliberately expansive count was roughly half the claim: about 7.1 million southwest-border apprehensions between ports through September 2024, about 1.2 million encounters at legal ports without prior authorization, and an estimated 2 million “gotaways.” Encounter totals include repeat attempts and do not mean everyone was admitted. DHS processing data cited by FactCheck.org showed about 2.9 million removals/returns and 3.2 million releases or other dispositions. A defensible estimate of the number who entered and remained is substantially below 21 million.
False
Sources and attribution
Tracker research synthesis; inspect the linked evidence and research record.