As the U.S. gears up for another presidential election, immigration has become a hot topic. Everyone’s talking about it, but what do the numbers actually say? How has immigration to the U.S. changed over the past two decades, and how have different presidents—Republicans and Democrats—shaped these trends?

This article breaks down the U.S. immigration numbers from 2001 to 2024, showing how each president’s policies influenced the flow of immigrants. The data comes from a detailed report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) called Demographic Outlook: 2024 to 2054.

Three Types of Immigrants to the U.S.

To understand immigration better, we need to look at how immigrants are categorized. According to the CBO, there are three main types of immigrants:

1. LPR+ (Lawful Permanent Residents and others eligible to apply for LPR status): This group includes green card holders, asylees, and refugees, who are either granted their status while living in the U.S. or approved from abroad.
2. INA Nonimmigrants: This group consists of people who are in the U.S. temporarily, such as students, workers, and diplomats under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These individuals are not aiming to become permanent residents but are here for specific purposes.
3. Other Foreign Nationals: This category covers people who don’t fit in the other two categories. It includes those who are undocumented or overstayed their visas.

A Timeline of U.S. Immigration (2001 to 2024)

The chart below reveals how many people came to the U.S. each year from 2001 to 2024. The data is broken down by each president’s time in office, from George W. Bush to Joe Biden, and divided by the three immigrant types.

The Biden Boom: Immigration Surges

Immigration hit some of its highest levels under President Joe Biden. From 2021 to 2024, an estimated 10 million immigrants entered the U.S., across all categories. This is a big jump compared to previous years. One major reason for this surge has been the significant increase in unauthorized immigration, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Several factors contributed to this uptick:

• Post-pandemic migration: After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, many people started moving again, looking for better opportunities.
• Instability in home countries: Economic and political problems in places like Central America drove more people to migrate.
• Perception of lenient policies: Some migrants believed that U.S. policies had become less strict under Biden, encouraging more to attempt crossing the border.

As a result, U.S. authorities have encountered record numbers of migrants, leading to over 4.4 million deportations or repatriations during this period.

Trump’s Crackdown: The Slowdown in Immigration

In contrast, immigration numbers took a sharp dive during Donald Trump’s presidency. Between 2017 and 2020, net immigration was at its lowest, with only 3 million new immigrants entering the U.S. during Trump’s term. Trump’s strict immigration policies played a huge role in this slowdown.

Some of the key policies under Trump included:

• The Remain in Mexico policy: This required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. hearings, making it harder for them to stay in the U.S. while their cases were processed.
• Travel bans: Trump enacted travel bans for several countries, restricting immigration from specific regions.
• Title 42: This was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants at the border to prevent the virus’s spread.

The pandemic itself was another major factor. In 2020, net immigration plummeted to record lows because of travel restrictions, consulate closures, and visa processing delays. It wasn’t until 2022 that the numbers started to recover again.

Comparing Two Decades of Immigration

Looking at the bigger picture, the U.S. added more immigrants under Biden in just three years (2021-2024) than it did during the entire decade between 2010 and 2019. During Biden’s term, the U.S. welcomed 9.27 million immigrants, while the previous decade saw 9.19 million immigrants.

This stark contrast highlights how different presidential policies, global events like the pandemic, and other factors like economic and political instability in other countries have dramatically impacted U.S. immigration trends.

What’s Next?

As we head into the 2024 election, immigration will remain a hot-button issue. Will the next president tighten the borders like Trump or keep them more open like Biden? One thing’s for sure: immigration trends in the U.S. have a huge impact, not only on the people coming here but also on the country as a whole.

This chart gives us a glimpse into how dramatically things can change depending on who’s in charge, and it’s a topic that will continue to shape America’s future.