An unprecedented year in immigration, and in anti-immigration rhetoric

Migrants huddling for warmth at an unofficial detention camp in Jacumba, Calif. A record number of people have arrived at the southern U.S. border in the past year. (Ash Ponders for NPR)

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, federal agents encountered roughly 2.5 million migrants at the southern border in 2023.

While debates in the U.S. focus on domestic immigration policy, there's an undeniable reality: The year saw a historic rise in the number of displaced people around the world.