How to manufacture a border crisis

When you read about the border crisis, small words make a big difference. You’ve likely heard about the surge in migrant “encounters” at the border. And there are a lot of these—more than 2.1 million in fiscal year 2023[1] —so it’s a handy way for the agency to request a bigger enforcement budget. 

But here’s the thing: an “encounter” is any person who is questioned by agents, or anyone whose documentation is run through the system. It’s not anywhere close to the number of people they actually “apprehend” or arrest.