Did 11 million people illegally enter the US under Biden?

BBC Verify senior journalist

A bit earlier, we brought you comments from former Trump adviser Sam Nunberg. During his interview, he claimed to BBC News that:

“The Biden White House admitted that - at least according to them - they had 11 million illegal immigrants enter the country.”

There were more than 10 million border “encounters” during President Biden’s time in office, according to US Customs and Border Protection, external.

While that number is historically high, it doesn’t mean this many people came into the US and stayed illegally.

Some would have attempted to cross the border multiple times and been counted more than once and others would have been apprehended and removed. The numbers also include people who tried to enter the country legally and were deemed “inadmissible”.

Separate figures - from the the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - estimate there were 11 million unauthorised migrants living in the US in 2022, external.

However, this number reflects the total population of unauthorised immigrants - not how many arrived under Biden.

The DHS data show the estimated illegal migrant population has remained relatively stable:

: 11.6 million 2020 : 10.5 million (*during President Trump’s first term)

: 10.5 million 2022: 11 million (*under President Biden)

BBC Verify has previously investigated illegal immigration in the US, which you can read more about here.