Border security and enforcement

About 8,000 attempted crossings were detected in February 2025, 94.1% fewer than in February 2024. These attempted crossings, sometimes referred to as “encounters,” are instances when the US Border Patrol (USBP) apprehended or expelled someone attempting to illegally cross into the US between official ports of entry. This number does not necessarily represent individual people, as one person may be counted several times if they make multiple attempts to cross the border.

1.1M in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, a broader term can be used, “repatriation”, which also includes COVID-19 related expulsions from the US.

An estimated 11 million in 2022. The unauthorized immigrant population consists of all foreign-born noncitizens who are not legal US residents. This includes people who entered the country undetected, those who requested asylum after entry, and those who sought asylum at the border. It also encompasses people from conflict zones, such as Ukraine, and those who have overstayed their temporary visas.

About 17,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This number of criminal noncitizen arrests — now referred to by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as criminal alien arrests — represents 1.1% of all border apprehensions by the US Border Patrol (USBP) through September 2024, the end of the federal fiscal year. Because one person may be arrested multiple times in the same fiscal year, it’s possible to have more arrests than people arrested.