More than 2 million migrants were stopped while attempting to enter the United States from Mexico illegally in 2021, an astronomical figure resulting from the Biden administration’s easing of border policies and collapsed economies in Latin America due to the pandemic.

A total of 2,033,863 foreigners were detected attempting to cross into the U.S. between ports of entry along the 2,000-mile southern border or were denied admission at the inspection booths, including 178,840 in December, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday.