How common are repeat illegal border crossings?

The border recidivism rate — meaning the percentage of people turned away at the US border who later make another attempt to enter — rose in 2020 and 2021. A Congressional Research Service report cites a lack of penalties for illegal reentry as a reason behind this change. USAFacts has more on this hot-button election issue in this article.

Bar graph showing border recidivism rates

Border encounters of all kinds increased from 337,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2015 to more than 1.6 million in FY 2021.
Recidivism rates generally declined from FY 2015 (with a rate of 14%) to FY 2019 (7%) before reaching 26% in FY 2020 and 27% in FY 2021. Put another way, more than a quarter of migrants who were turned away at the border attempted to cross the border illegally at least twice during this time.
Title 42 enabled US authorities to expel people at the southern border during the pandemic to curb the spread of COVID-19. According to the Congressional Research Service, the rising rates under Title 42 were partly due to a lack of penalties. Title 42 expired in May 2023. The government has resumed using Title 8, which imposes jail time and other penalties for illegal reentry.
The US uses the border recidivism rate to measure how effectively the Border Patrol is preventing illegal crossings. However, the measure has limitations. For example, the rate can’t account for people who have made multiple attempts over multiple fiscal years.

Get the facts on border recidivism in this article. Then, see what the data says about unauthorized immigration.

How many people are struggling to afford food?

One out of every eight American adults struggles to afford enough food. According to Census Bureau data, last fall, nearly 28 million adults lived in homes where there was either sometimes or often not enough to eat in the preceding week. This was the highest figure since the first year of the pandemic.

In October 2023, 12.5% of American adults lived in households where there was sometimes or often not enough to eat. This is a rise from 10.7% in March of the same year. Another 33.8% reported having enough food but not always the kinds they wanted. In comparison, 53.7% could always get and afford the food they wanted.

Bar graph showing avg monthly SNAP benefit per person

The Agriculture Department provides nutritional support through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other programs. SNAP enrollment rose from 37.1 million in January 2020 to 41.4 million in October 2023. The average per-person benefit increased from $121 in February 2020 to $247 by May 2021. It fell to $177 in April 2023 after additional, pandemic-related SNAP funding expired.
As of September 2023, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (often called WIC) supported 6.7 million people.

See more charts about food insecurity.

Data behind the news

A federal appeals court ruled that the Second Amendment empowers Minnesota residents ages 18 to 20 to carry handguns publicly. Read this explainer for details on right-to-carry laws.

Heavy rains hit the Midwest hard recently, overtopping a dam near Nashville, Illinois, last Tuesday. How many dams does the US have, and where are they? Find out here.

It’s time for the weekly facts quiz!

One last fact

Bar graph showing subsidized housing decline

From 2004 to 2022, the number of units under federal contract as subsidized housing fell by about 11%. In 2004, there were 17.3 units per 1,000 people; in 2022, there were approximately 15.4.