Rep. Stefanik’s flawed comparison on border apprehensions since 2000

“In 2000, the vast majority of the migrant flow took place between ports of entry, and there was no Title 42 policy in place. So the best number to look at to estimate the activity at the border is that apprehensions number,” said Jessica Bolter, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. “In 2021, migrants are coming both to ports of entry and are crossing in between ports of entry (largely because now there are more asylum seekers crossing the border than in 2000, and they are not trying to avoid detection by CBP), and some of them are being expelled under Title 42. So, to estimate total migrant activity at the border, it is helpful to add together apprehensions, inadmissibles, and expulsions.”