The number of illegal aliens who have entered the interior of the U.S. under the Biden administration now is greater than the population of at least 22 states as well as the District of Columbia.  

Data released Monday by the House Judiciary Committee reveals that at least 3.8 million illegal aliens either have been released into the nation’s interior or successfully evaded the Border Patrol to enter the country since President Joe Biden took office Jan. 20, 2021.  

The new data and other information reveal that the Biden administration has “failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, over 99% of those illegal aliens who have been released into the country” since Biden became president, the committee’s interim staff report concludes.

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Tom McClintock, chairman of Judiciary’s immigration subcommittee, said they obtained nonpublic data from the Department of Homeland Security that provides previously unknown official numbers. 

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of DHS, reports that over 5 million illegal aliens were encountered at America’s southern border between the start of the Biden administration and this past March 31. Of those 5 million illegal aliens, at least 2.46 million “had no confirmed departure from the United States,” the report found.  

During the first 26 months of Biden’s presidency, DHS released “at least 2,148,738 illegal aliens into the United States,” according to the Judiciary Committee’s report. The committee found that only 5,993 of those encountered at the southern border were placed in removal proceedings.  

“In other words, of the at least 2.1 million aliens released into the United States since January 20, 2021, the Biden administration has failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, roughly 99.7% of those illegal aliens,” the report says.

The report notes that an additional 1.7 million “known ‘gotaways’” successfully evaded Border Patrol agents and entered the United States, bringing the total estimated number of illegal aliens who arrived and stayed under the Biden administration to 3.8 million. That population exceeds the number of residents of 22 different states and the District of Columbia.  

These states all have a population below 3.8 million: 

• Connecticut: 3,626,205 
• Utah: 3,380,800 
• Iowa: 3,200,517 
• Nevada: 3,177,772 
• Arkansas: 3,045,637 
• Mississippi: 2,940,057 
• Kansas: 2,937,150 
• New Mexico: 2,113,344 
• Nebraska: 1,967,923 
• Idaho: 1,939,033 
• West Virginia: 1,775,156 
• Hawaii: 1,440,196 
• New Hampshire : 1,395,231 
• Maine: 1,385,340 
• Montana: 1,122,867 
• Rhode Island: 1,093,734 
• Delaware: 1,018,396 
• South Dakota: 909,824 
• North Dakota: 779,261 
• Alaska: 733,583 
• District of Columbia: 671,803 
• Vermont: 647,064 
• Wyoming: 581,381 

The Judiciary Committee’s report doesn’t include illegal aliens paroled into the U.S. since April 1, meaning that the total number likely exceeds 3.8 million.  

Since the start of the Biden administration, over 7 million illegal aliens have been encountered on America’s borders, both at official ports of entry and between them. An unknown number of illegal aliens successfully evaded Border Patrol to enter the interior of the country.   

CBP said it encountered more illegal aliens at the borders, including ports of entry, in August than in any other single month on record. Initial reporting indicates that September’s official numbers, when released, will exceed those from August.

CBP reported encountering 304,162 illegal aliens,in August, surpassing the previous record high in December 2022 by nearly 2,000.   

Amid the record number of border crossings, news broke Thursday that the Biden administration will resume building 17 miles of border wall in South Texas, a move that drew support from both the political Left and Right. Upon his inauguration, Biden had stopped predecessor Donald Trump’s construction of a wall.

“For years, they were adamant that walls do not work and are antiquated and not worth another dollar,” Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., told The Daily Signal, referring to Biden administration officials. “Finally, to see them coming around to the fact that border walls do work is showing the difference that Republicans are making. Biden is slowly realizing the negative impact an open border has had across our country.” 

Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, told The Hill on Friday that he supports the administration’s action resuming wall construction. 

“This is a necessary step to help Texas’ overwhelmed border communities deal with this current surge of migrants,” Allred said, adding that “physical barriers have a role to play in securing our border at high traffic areas, but this is only a partial solution.”  

Biden maintained Thursday that walls don’t work, also telling reporters that he sought to have Congress redirect funds appropriated for the wall under the Trump administration, but “they wouldn’t.”

“And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated. I can’t stop that,” Biden said. 

The Biden administration also announced Thursday that it would begin deporting illegal border crossers from Venezuela. In August, more than 37,000 Venezuelans were encountered on America’s borders, according to CBP.  

A Biden administration official said that resuming deportations of Venezuelans will “show how we are committed to imposing consequences on those who cross the border unlawfully,” NPR reported.

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