Border security and enforcement

About 54K encounters in September 2024. The US Border Patrol reported that encounters were 75.4% lower in September 2024 compared to September 2023. These encounters, which include both the apprehension and expulsion of undocumented migrants at the US-Mexico border between official entry points, do not necessarily represent individual people. The same person can be counted multiple times if they are encountered on more than one occasion.

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.” This term 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 15,300 in 2023. This number of criminal noncitizen arrests represents 0.7% of all border apprehensions by the US Border Patrol (USBP) in 2023. Because one person may be arrested multiple times in the same fiscal year, it’s possible to have more arrests than people arrested.

About 2,200 pounds in September 2024. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used medically as a pain reliever but is also trafficked illegally due to its potency. In 2022, the latest data available, fentanyl was involved in 68% of fatal accidental drug overdoses in the US.