The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around 11 million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over two million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over 2.2 million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.

Immigration and political division

Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In the fiscal year of 2020, the United States Border Patrol apprehended 400,651 people trying to cross the Southwest border. This was a significant decrease from the previous year, when there were 851,508 apprehensions by Border Patrol at the Southwest border. This decrease is likely due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the fiscal year of 2020, a total of 90,206 apprehensions by the United States Border Patrol were counted in the Rio Grande Valley, formerly known as McAllen. In total, U.S. Border Patrol counted 405,036 apprehensions nationwide in the fiscal year of 2020.

In the fiscal year of 2020, a total 508 accompanied juveniles were counted by the United States Border Patrol in the El Centro, California border sector. Nationwide, 26,284 accompanied juveniles were counted, and 30,614 unaccompanied juveniles were counted by Border Patrol.

Total Illegal Alien Apprehensions By Month From FY 1999 through FY 2014

In the fiscal year of 2020, the United States Border Patrol apprehended 30,614 unaccompanied children. This is a significant decrease from the previous fiscal year, when 76,136 unaccompanied minors were apprehended by Border Patrol. This is likely due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Significantly more men were apprehended by the United States Border Patrol than women in the the fiscal year of 2020. Nationwide, 329,347 men were apprehended by Border Patrol in that year, compared to 75,678 women who were apprehended.

In 2022, 2,214,653 aliens were apprehended by the Customs and Border Protection agency in the United States, while 142,750 were apprehended by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.

In 2022, about 2.58 million illegal aliens were apprehended in the United States. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when there were around 1.87 million illegal aliens apprehended nationwide. Apprehensions refer to Border Patrol apprehensions and ICE administrative arrests.

Between the fiscal years of 2012 and 2019, more than 305,000 Honduran family units were apprehended by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the country's southern border. Cortés ranked as the most common department of birth in Honduras of apprehended families, with more than 56,000 family units having Cortés as their region of origin.

In the fiscal year of 2023, 178 members of MS-13 were apprehended by Border Patrol in the United States. In total, 598 gang members were apprehended by Border Patrol in that same year.

Extracted keywords and proposed themes from Pakistani newspapers.