GOP congresswoman ridiculed for claiming over one billion migrants were stopped at US-Mexico border

‘This is what happens when you ban the math books,’ mocked one Twitter user

Rep Debbie Lesko says over one billion people have been apprehended at the US-Mexico border in six months (Getty Images)

A Republican congresswoman’s math skills are being questioned after she claimed US border officials had stopped over a billion migrants.

“Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 1,000,000,000 migrants at our southern border in just 6 months,” Rep Debbie Lesko of Arizona tweeted on Tuesday. “President Biden’s open border policies are fueling this crisis!”

Ms Lesko appeared to have added three too many zeroes to that figure. According to US Customs and Borders Protection, 1,013,513 migrants were apprehended or expelled at America’s southern border in the past six months.

If border agents had apprehended over a billion people, it would be an astonishing feat. That would mean they’d arrested about one eighth of the world’s population, and almost eight times the population of Mexico.

On Twitter, people were quick to point this out.

“You honestly believe that nearly 13 percent of the world’s entire population attempted to cross the border between Mexico and the United States in a six-month period?” one user asked.

“This is what happens when you ban the math books,” another jibed, referring to Florida Republicans’ recent rejection of several math textbooks.

“Tell me Debbie, are the 1,000,000,000 migrants with us in the room right now?” someone else asked.

Others took issue with Ms Lesko’s logic, wondering how America’s borders could be “open” if agents there were arresting billions of people.

“Uhm, are we just ignoring the fact that if that many are apprehended they are doing a good job, which is the exact opposite of her tweet?” one reader queried.

“What exactly is your complaint here?” another asked. “That Border Patrol agents shouldn’t be arresting them? If that many immigrants are getting arrested, how can you claim that the border is ‘open’?”

“Two possibilities,” someone else theorized. “(1) ONE BILLION MIGRANTS have tried to cross our border in just 6 months, or 230,000 PER HOUR, which is more than the population of Des Moines, Iowa every 60 minutes, - or - (2) Debbie doesn’t know how many zeroes are in a million.”

The Independent has reached out to Ms Lesko’s office for comment.