Jun 28, 2024 - 18:33
By npr.org

Fact check: What did Biden and Trump claim about immigration in the debate?

Without a doubt, the issue of immigration is playing a big role in the 2024 presidential campaign — and it was certainly one of the main points of contention between President Biden and former President Donald Trump in Thursday night's debate.

Trump accused Biden of allowing millions of unauthorized migrants to enter the country. He also said many falsehoods about the current state of immigration.

Meanwhile, Biden attempted to explain what he would do to continue lowering the number of migrants crossing illegally, despite that number hitting an all-time high during his tenure.

Here are three fact checks of claims made during the debate related to immigration:

Claim 1: The U.S. Southern border is open

This is a talking point used often by Republicans when referring to Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“He decided to open up our border, open up our country,” Trump said of Biden during the debate.

But this is not accurate.

It is true that under Biden, unauthorized crossings hit a record high, oftentimes overwhelming certain border communities and straining its resources.

But the border is not "open." In fact, it is arguably more reinforced than ever.

The federal government has added more sections of the U.S. Southern border walls, and there have been more military operations at the border.

The administration has also increased the number of expedited removals.

Biden has tried to work with Congress to overhaul the immigration system, but a majority of Republican lawmakers have not moved forward with the Senate $118 billion border agreement.