港澳天下彩has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacked President Joe Biden鈥檚 immigration record during CNN鈥檚 Republican debate in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Biden鈥檚 let in 8 million people just in four years. They all have to go back," DeSantis Jan. 10.
But this talking point relies on a misleading read of immigration data. Immigrant encounters are different from admissions. PolitiFact fact-checked a similar claim in September and rated it .
Nationwide data up to November 2023 shows that immigration officials have migrants 8.1 million times under Biden (who has been in office almost three years).
But that doesn鈥檛 mean 8.1 million people are now living in the United States. represents events, not people. If one person tries to enter the country three different times and is stopped each time by border officials, for example, that equals three encounters, even if it鈥檚 the same person encountered.
READ MORE: PolitiFact FL: What key facts about immigration data tells us about border policies
The number of people let into the country is about one-quarter of what DeSantis said. There have been about released into the U.S. under Biden鈥檚 administration, Department of Homeland Security data shows. Also, 356,000 children who crossed the border alone were let in and placed in government custody.
Immigration officials estimate how many people , but this data takes years to be publicly released. The latest available is for fiscal year 2021, which includes about four months of the Trump administration. It says that about 391,000 people got away from border authorities that year.
Data shows that not everyone encountered by border officials was allowed to stay in the country. DHS estimates there have been more than expulsions, removals and returns from February 2021, Biden鈥檚 first month in office, to September 2023, the latest available data.
Our ruling
DeSantis said, "Biden鈥檚 let in 8 million people just in four years."
Immigration officials have encountered migrants 8.1 million times nationwide, but that does not mean they鈥檙e all in the U.S. Encounters represent events, not individual people, and millions of encounters result in people being deported from the country.
DeSantis鈥� statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.
Our Sources
- PolitiFact, , Oct. 4, 2023
- CNN, , Jan. 10, 2024
- Department of Homeland Security, , accessed Jan. 10, 2024
- PolitiFact, , Jan. 3, 2024
- The Washington Post, , Jan. 6, 2024
- PolitiFact, , Dec. 9, 2022
- Department of Homeland Security, , July 3, 2023
- Office of Homeland Security Statistics, , accessed Jan. 10, 2024
