
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
No.
Authorities estimate the number of undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. during the Biden-Harris administration and remained at far less than the 25 million that Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance claimed.
Vance said Aug. 28, 2024, in De Pere, Wisconsin:
“Kamala Harris let in 25 million illegal aliens … the 25 million people who are here in this country illegally.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 10 million migrant encounters — one person one or more times — from February 2021 through July 2024.
However, millions were turned away, returned or deported.
The nonprofit Migration Policy Institute estimates there were 6 million entries between January 2021 and April 2024.
Customs and Border Protection also estimated about 2 million “got-aways” — border crossers who evaded authorities — 385,707 in 2021, 737,244 in 2022, and 694,685 in 2023.
Vance’s spokesperson cited conservative media reports, including one saying there may have been 1 million got-aways in one year.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
WLUK-TV FOX 11: JD Vance rallies voters in Wisconsin
U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Nationwide Encounters
News release: Chairman Green for RealClearPolitics: No, Biden and Harris’ Border Crisis Is Not Over
USA Today: No, 51M ‘illegals’ have not entered US under Biden, Harris | Fact check
PolitiFact: There aren’t 20 million to 30 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, as Sen. Marco Rubio claimed
Google Docs: Migration Policy Institute Aug. 29, 2024
U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Fiscal Year 2025 Congressional Justification
U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Fiscal Year 2024 Congressional Justification

