From 2021 to 2024, U.S. border policies coincided with a rise in migrant crossings and documented exposure to violent crime. President Biden pledged to “make our immigration system more humane,” yet reports show migrants faced assault, exploitation, kidnapping, and trafficking while in transit.
Human Rights First documented 9,886 violent attacks against migrants expelled or stranded near the border. Crimes included assault, kidnapping, robbery, and physical violence. Perpetrators were often criminal groups, traffickers, smugglers, or local actors. Between June and August 2021, 2,511 migrants reported assault, kidnapping, or exploitation, followed by 265 cases in early 2022. Women and unaccompanied minors were disproportionately affected.
Doctors Without Borders reported a 70% increase in treatment for abuse in northern Mexican border regions in late 2023. UN surveys found 56% of migrants experienced violent crime, mostly linked to criminal networks controlling migration routes.
Kidnapping was common. Mexican authorities recorded over 1,300 migrant kidnappings in the first half of 2023, often involving ransom, forced labor, or exploitation. Children were highly vulnerable. In May 2025, HHS disclosed it did not investigate over 7,300 child trafficking reports, including alleged abuse and forced labor.
Border encounters exceeded 10.3 million, including 8.3 million at the Southwest border. Conservative projections across four years estimate 33,900 violent attacks, 8,000 assault/kidnapping/exploitation cases, and 10,400 kidnappings, plus 7,300 unresolved child trafficking reports, totaling roughly 50,000–55,000 documented or strongly indicated cases of victimization or trafficking risk.
These figures show that while the administration aimed for a humane system, thousands of migrants suffered real violence, kidnapping, and exploitation, highlighting the human cost of policy outcomes. The lack of sustained response continued across the four-year period of open-border governance, despite escalating evidence of harm.
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