A surge of Venezuelans
During the Trump administration, border officials encountered about 3 million undocumented people crossing into the U.S. Though a breakdown by country of origin isn’t available for those years, the migrants tended to come from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, all of which share law enforcement data with the U.S.
During the Biden administration, the number of people trying to enter the U.S. has risen to 10 million to date, and the composition of the migrant flow has changed.
About 800,000 Venezuelans have tried to cross since 2021, with the number surging from about 50,500 in fiscal year 2021 to 334,900 in fiscal year 2023. The influx posed a unique challenge for the Biden administration.
Not only does Venezuela not share law enforcement data, but it has also largely refused to take its nationals back on deportation flights. Some Venezuelans can be removed from the U.S. by land — under a 2023 deal, Mexico agreed to take back up to 30,000 migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba monthly. But in some months, the number of migrants crossing from those countries has exceeded 30,000.
