In the first debate clash of the 2024 campaign, the two candidates unleashed a flurry of false and misleading statements.
FactChecking the Biden-Trump Debate
Issues: immigration
FactChecking Trump’s Immigration-Related Claims in Phoenix and Las Vegas
Former President Donald Trump has made illegal immigration and its impact on the U.S. a focus of his campaign – but several of his talking points are wrong or misleading. Here’s what we found among his immigration claims at recent events in the electoral swing states of Arizona and Nevada.
Q&A on Biden’s Border Order
On June 4, President Joe Biden announced new measures to restrict asylum eligibility for those apprehended while trying to enter the U.S. illegally across the southern border. Here, we answer several questions about Biden’s action.
Posts Misrepresent Immigrants’ Eligibility for Social Security Numbers, Benefits
Immigrants who are lawfully living or authorized to work in the U.S. are eligible for a Social Security number and, in some cases, Social Security benefits. But viral posts make the false claim that “illegal immigrants” can receive Social Security numbers and retirement benefits, and they confuse two programs managed by the Social Security Administration.
Biden’s Numbers, April 2024 Update
Our latest quarterly update on the state of the U.S. during the Biden presidency.
Viral Claim Inflates Number of New Voters in Three States
A claim on social media misrepresents the number of people who have registered to vote in three states in 2024 and suggests the new voters are immigrants in the country illegally. There have been 194,000 newly registered voters in those states — not 2 million — and there’s no evidence they are immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Elon Musk Overstates Partisan Impact of Illegal Immigration on House Apportionment
In claiming that illegal immigration benefits Democrats, entrepreneur Elon Musk vastly overstated its impact on the apportionment of House seats and Electoral College votes.
The Humanitarian Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans
Q: Did the Biden administration secretly fly over 300,000 migrants to the U.S.?
A: As of January, the Department of Homeland Security had admitted about 357,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans it vetted and authorized to fly to the U.S. through a humanitarian parole program. The travelers pay for the flights.
Breaking Down the Immigration Figures
Encounters on the southern border of those trying to enter the U.S. without authorization have gone up significantly under President Joe Biden. Government statistics show that in the initial processing of millions of encounters, 2.5 million people have been released into the U.S. and 2.8 million have been removed or expelled.
IRS Has Not Introduced Immigrant Housing Tax Incentive, Contrary to Posts
The IRS has not introduced a tax incentive for U.S. families to house immigrants in exchange for labor. A bogus claim that was originally posted as satire is circulating on social media without a disclaimer.