During the tenure of Joe Biden, the U.S. saw an astonishing expansion of its foreign-born population, fueled by his lax border controls. His near-open-door policies gave virtually anyone willing to cross the American border access to public benefits; he even went as far as pushing for those residing several thousands of miles away to migrate to the United States.
This dramatic surge of immigrants came to a grinding halt under President Donald Trump’s second term, which prioritized secure borders. In fact, the foreign-born population experienced a reduction of about 1.5 million – a first since the 1960s. This is according to an in-depth analysis conducted by Pew Research.
Pew Research reported a record number of immigrants in the U.S., reaching its pinnacle of 53.3 million in January 2025. This was precisely when Biden was preparing to exit the White House, having driven up numbers with his reckless policies. The number of non-citizens residing illegally within the nation’s borders also reached a record high of 14 million in 2023.
Emergent reports from Center Square highlighted that the months succeeding Biden’s departure saw a slide of close to 1.5 million in immigrant numbers. Trump’s administration implemented a nationwide clampdown on immigration, a key facet of his second-term agenda.
Trump set his focus on transforming the migration landscape with decisive action by signing 181 executive orders directly related to immigration in just a few months. He enforced stricter policies, ranging from mass deportations to increased security at the southwest border, and made student visa requirements more stringent.
These measures impacted the demographic structure of the U.S., as the percentage of immigrants in the national mix dipped from 15.8% in January to 15.4% in June. Pew Research backed this figure, stating that the number of undocumented immigrants rose rapidly during mid-2024, reaching unprecedented levels, only to decelerate under the amended immigration policy put in place by Trump’s administration.
Between January and June 2025, there was a potential reduction of up to 1 million in unauthorized immigrant numbers. Even so, as of July 2025, the population of illegal immigrants remains above the July 2023 level, which was estimated at 14 million.
Between July 2023 and June 2024, over 2.1 million immigrants secured release or parole into the U.S. These groups formed part of the illegal immigrant population. The largest group constituted new arrivals of unauthorized immigrants, who were released by U.S. Border Patrol, numbering over 1.1 million. Another 1 million were admitted to the country through parole programs at the southwestern border and from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Ukraine.
These high volumes suggest a growth in illegal immigration past the estimated 14 million in mid-2023. A deceleration ensued around mid-2024 when Biden reconsidered his open-door approach, resulting in around 400,000 migrants released or paroled into the U.S in the latter half of the year.
Significant reductions came into effect due to major changes by Border Patrol, which released far fewer migrants into the country, around 60,000 during this half-year period, compared to more than 1.1 million in the preceding year. Biden’s time in office, during 2021-2023, saw an unprecedented surge of unauthorized immigrants, with numbers reaching a staggering 14 million in 2023.
According to Pew, Biden’s ill-advised plan to offer protections to illegal aliens had much to do with this surge. The leap in numbers between 2021 and 2023 was primarily driven by the growth in the unauthorized immigrant population living in the U.S. with some protections from deportation.
In 2023, the number of protected immigrants reached 6 million, a significant climb from the 2.7 million in 2021. By comparison, in 2007, when the total unauthorized immigrant population was at a somewhat lower peak at 12.2 million, only around 500,000 had some form of protection.
Fast forward to the year 2025, and the picture began to look strikingly different. Trump’s decisive actions increased deportations and eradicated any special protections for illegal immigrants. This approach steered the immigrant numbers trend around.
Biden’s attempts to increase immigration, crystallized in four major ‘parole’ programs, were highlighted in the report as a significant driver of the rise in immigrants coming to the U.S. These were the ‘Operation Allies Welcome’ program for Afghan citizens, ‘United for Ukraine’ for Ukrainians, parole processes for those from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and paroles executed by the Office of Field Operations.
Unsurprisingly, his indulgence towards immigrants from war-torn or economically struggling countries dramatically amplified numbers, keeping in line with his reckless policy making. Yet the report concluded that the significant increase was indeed primarily due to Joe Biden’s flawed and misguided policies.
In conclusion, Biden’s tenure was marked by irresponsible immigration policies that sent U.S. population numbers skyrocketing. It took the firm resolve of President Trump to curb this growth and enforce stricter, sound laws regarding immigration. A policy lesson for future administrations was unmistakably established: lax laws and open borders are not conducive to a well-managed, secure nation.
The post Biden’s Disastrous Open-Border Polices Flood America with Immigrants appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
