Misleading: Under Biden, the number of unaccompanied children crossing the Mexico-U.S. border has decreased.

By: Ranjini K
April 1 2021

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In February 2021, border patrol agents recorded 9,457 unaccompanied children, representing a 61 percent increase from 5,858 encounters in January.President Biden had said in a press conference that the number of children attempting to cross the border was lower than it was under Trump's presidency. However, Biden's figures were inaccurate and his claims lacked clarity. While addressing his first formal news conference on March 25, Biden faced questions over a rise in the number of people attempting to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. He claimed there has been a 28 percent increase in children crossing the border under his administration, but that there had been a 31 percent increase under the Trump administration. He said that there was always an increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers attempting to reach the U.S. at this time. Essentially, Biden was claiming that there was a three percent decrease in the increase of children coming into the U.S. — a claim that lacks clarity. According to recent data from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there was a 28 percent increase in the number of people entering the U.S at the Southern border from January to February 2021 and 31 percent during January to February 2019 under the Trump administration. The graph shows a 28 percent increase in migrants from January to February 2021, from 78,442 to 100,441. The 28 percent figure relates to the CBP's encounters with all migrants. NBC reported that Biden's calculations are incorrect. There has been a 61 percent increase in unaccompanied minor children from January to February 2021. It also reported that there were 4,962 children in CBP custody as of March 23, 2021. From October 2020 until February 2021, 29,729 unaccompanied children and unaccompanied minors have been found near the U.S. border. In February 2021, border patrol agents recorded 9,457 unaccompanied children, representing a 61 percent increase from 5,858 encounters in January. UPDATE: We have edited this claim for clarity.