U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) took a jab at President Joe Biden on Friday morning, suggesting that the number of illegal immigrants that have entered through the southern border exceeds the populations of most U.S. states.

According to a Wednesday press release from House Republicans, over 5.8 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since Biden took office in January 2021. That number was 183,503 in July alone, a 27% increase from June. July marked the 29th month in a row when illegal immigrant encounters have increased from the previous month.

"The number of illegal immigrants let into our country by the Biden Administration is now higher than the population of 38 states," Moore posted on social media site X. "Let that sink in."

Census Bureau data estimates that 31 states have populations lower than 5.8 million as of 2022. Alabama is one of these states, with an estimated population of 5.07 million. 

Colorado and Wisconsin are close at 5.84 million and 5.89 million, respectively. 

Territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. also have populations of less than 5.8 million people. 

Only one major U.S. city, New York, has a population of over 5.8 million. Even Los Angeles, the next most populous city, has an estimated population of only 3.82 million.

Many Republicans have suggested the crisis at the southern border is an issue of national security and criticized Biden's immigration policies as "open borders."

Moore has been a longstanding critic of Biden's immigration policies. In July, he called for the impeachment of Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his border policies and later accused him of lying under oath about the DHS's southern border screening practices.

To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.

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