6.3m Migrants Detained For Illegally Entering US Under Biden, Higher Than Trump

During his annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) speech this week, former US President Donald Trump said that the Republicans were right about "crooked" US President Joe Biden.

"Four years ago I told you that if crooked Joe Biden got to the White House, our borders would be abolished, our middle class would be decimated and our communities would be plagued by chaos and violent crime," the former president declared.

In a bid to win votes at the next presidential election, set to take place on the 5 November this year, Trump has promised to launch "the largest domestic deportation operation" in US history.

While Trump continues to mock Biden's immigration management, recent data shows that more than 6.3 million migrants have been detained crossing into the US illegally with Biden in office - a higher number than under Trump, Obama or George W Bush.

This year, the White House has seen its most encounters with unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border – measuring more than 300,000.

In 2021, nearing the end of Trump's term, there were less than 100,000 encounters with unaccompanied minors, according to the US Customs and Border Protection Agency.

However, experts say that Biden is not to blame for the increase in attempted border crossings.

Jorge Loweree, the Managing Director of Programmes at the non-profit advocacy group American Immigration Council, said: "We are experiencing displacement around the world at a level never seen in recorded history, and people are turning up at our southern border for a variety of different reasons."

The most common reasons for mass migration to the US include fleeing crises – such as natural disasters, conflicts or persecution, for economic reasons – such as better employment or increased wages and because of the leadership changeover.

When the Democrats won the presidential election, smugglers took advantage of the leadership change to create a sense of urgency and usher migrants to the US-Mexico border.

In regard to smuggler manipulation, Immigration Lawyer Alex Cuic explained: "Part of it is that they think they can just come. I think that's just what they're being told."

"They feel like there's a pathway to come here... It's almost like an invite," he added

This news comes after UK Home Secretary James Cleverly encouraged international leaders to focus their attention on tacking people-smuggling gangs during a visit to New York, USA.

There must be "a global conversation about what more we need to do together and what needs to change", Cleverly said.

Since the Conservative Party ignored unlawful court rulings and launched the emergency Rwanda Treaty, Britons have criticised the Conservative Party for using taxpayers' money to fund the legislation.

While Cleverly argued that the Rwanda Treaty "acts as a deterrent", the government have also been criticised for violating human rights laws by sending migrants to Rwanda, a nation that persecutes members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The deportation plan will "provide illegal UK immigrants with an alternative home", the Home Secretary said.

After announcing the UK's collaborative plan with France, which sets out to halt all "illegal Channel crossings", Cleverly went on to warn: "Citizens will suffer if their country fails to invest in skills and training and then plugs those gaps with immigration... doing the right thing by someone in need doesn't necessarily mean relocating them to our own country."

The UK will show the same sort of leadership on this as we have with climate change, conflict prevention, and artificial intelligence. Success is dependent on a holistic, whole-of-route approach.

According to the Home Secretary, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's 'Stop the Boats' campaign has decreased the number of migrants arriving in the UK through the English Channel.

A returns deal with Albania has seen migrant arrivals from Albania, decline by more than 90%, Cleverly revealed in his speech.