Mullin's 20 Million Claim Falls Short of Court Data
New records show 108,610 people were released for entry without inspection, a fraction of the figure cited by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested that 20 million people entered the United States illegally during the Biden administration. A review of immigration court data indicates the number of releases for that specific charge was far lower.
According to TRAC, a database of immigration court records, 108,610 individuals charged with entry without inspection were released between fiscal year 2021 and 2024. Of that group, 3,949 were granted legal relief. The Department of Homeland Security has the authority to release rather than detain these individuals, even though the initial entry was illegal.
A separate category involves inadmissible aliens who receive humanitarian parole at ports of entry. This allows for temporary, legal entry without formal admission. TRAC data shows 973,075 such parolees were processed from fiscal year 2021 to 2024. Each year after 2021 set a new record for this metric. In fiscal year 2026, there were 75,431 parolees, the highest share of inadmissibles since 2017 at 35%.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated the total unauthorized population in the United States at 15.8 million in 2024. This figure makes the claim of 20 million new illegal entrants over a three-year period statistically improbable. Customs and Border Protection reported 1.7 million so-called gotaways during the same period, a figure Mullin and other officials have cited to support their narratives.
The data also shows that 5,744 people charged with entry without inspection were released in fiscal year 2026. Of those, 356 received relief. These figures come from TRAC reports on immigration proceedings and releases, which track cases filed in immigration court.
