President Joe Biden, along with The Washington Post, claimed the migrant “surge” happening at the border was seasonal. Data from March, however, tells a very different story.
The Post published an analysis piece on March 25 declaring that “the migrant ‘surge’ at the U.S. southern border is actually a predictable pattern.” Similarly, Biden said in March that the ongoing surge happens “every single solitary year” and joked that it’s not happening because he’s “a nice guy.”
“Evidence reveals the usual seasonal bump — plus some of the people who waited during the pandemic,” The Post noted in its piece from March.
“Underappreciated in the developing narrative is just how predictable the rise in border crossings is,” the analysis article continued. “We analyzed monthly U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from 2012 through February and found no clear evidence that the overall increase in border crossings in 2021 can be attributed to Biden administration policies. Rather, the current increase fits a pattern of seasonal changes in undocumented immigration combined with a backlog of demand because of 2020s coronavirus border closure.”
The Post article conceded that the influx of unaccompanied minors crossing the border “appears to be more than just a seasonal pattern” but even then speculated that there could “be a similar drop in crossings by minors during the summer months.” The analysis piece was based off of data that CBP had made available as of March 25.
New data is blowing the lid off of these claims – though others pushed back on the idea that the “surge” is normal prior to this most recent information. The new data, published by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), indicates a whopping 172,331 individuals were encountered at the southern border in March.
This is the most in almost two decades, according to The Post’s Nick Miroff.
“CBP had to redo it[s] chart to stretch the Y axis,” he added.
NEW: CBP has published March numbers showing 172,331 taken into custody, the most in nearly two decades.
The blue line on the graph below is 2021. CBP had to redo it chart to stretch the Y axis. Our story https://t.co/EgrwOA0aIn pic.twitter.com/CHdhK3nbgT
— Nick Miroff (@NickMiroff) April 8, 2021
The numbers are so high since Biden took office that there is “no recent comparison,” according to a more recent article published by The Post. Since its analysis piece claiming the “surge” is nothing but “a predictable pattern” that happens seasonally, the publication has begun to admit that the numbers are not, in fact, normal.
“The number of migrants crossing into the United States has skyrocketed to the highest levels in at least 15 years, and record numbers of teenagers and children arriving without parents have overwhelmed the government’s ability to care for them,” Miroff wrote in an article published April 2 and based on the preliminary March numbers.
“Though President Biden and his top officials have refused to acknowledge it is a crisis, the latest data shows the new administration under extraordinary strain,” he added. (RELATED: President Joe Biden Said The Border Crisis Was Normal, But Officials Are Preparing For A Migrant Explosion In The Fall)
The Post’s fact-check Glenn Kessler addressed Biden’s downplaying of the border crisis when the March numbers came out – despite his publication recently writing a piece echoing the president’s claims.
“Well, I guess the Biden White House line that this is the usual annual migration surge at the border is no longer operative,” Kessler tweeted along with the graph provided by CBP.
Well, I guess the Biden White House line that this is the usual annual migration surge at the border is no longer operative. pic.twitter.com/VNLIOZffsv
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 8, 2021
The Post’s April 2 article also contradicts its analysis piece published at the end of March, as it notes that the most recent figures “contradict Biden’s claims that his administration is facing an influx no different from previous years.”