International News: New data reveals where 4.5 million migrants went after crossing U.S.-Mexico border

By Zoila Palma:  An unprecedented surge in migration along the U.S.-Mexico border has reshaped communities across the United States, with new data obtained by The Associated Press providing a detailed look at the backgrounds and destinations of 4.5 million migrants released into the country between October 2018 and July 2025.

The migrants came from more than 150 countries, contributing to significant changes in the demographic makeup of cities and communities across the country.

The AP obtained the federal records through a Freedom of Information Act request. The data includes migrants’ self-reported destination ZIP codes, citizenship, age, gender, dates of encounters with authorities and the border regions where they were processed.

While some migrants may not have gone to the addresses they provided, many remained in their initial destinations, while others later moved to different parts of the country or left the United States.

The records show a major shift in the origins of migrants arriving at the southern border. Border Patrol encountered people from 174 countries in a single year, compared with earlier periods when migration was dominated by people from Mexico and Central America.

Cities such as New York and Philadelphia received migrants from numerous countries, while smaller communities including Elkhart, Indiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Dodge City, Kansas, also experienced significant changes.

Florida remained the most popular state among the migrants in the data, but many moved to other parts of the country.

Cuban migrants, for example, were concentrated in Florida but also went to communities including Louisville, Kentucky, Grand Island, Nebraska, and Odessa, Texas. Colombian migrants went to Aurora, Colorado, while Peruvians were drawn to Paterson, New Jersey.

The data also shows that women and children accounted for nearly six in every 10 migrants released at the border, representing a shift from earlier years when arrivals were predominantly men.

The data also highlights the diverse migration patterns of specific nationalities.

Chinese migrants largely settled in New York City, particularly Queens and Brooklyn, and in communities around Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, immigration enforcement has varied among destinations that experienced large migrant arrivals, with cities including Miami and New York seeing arrests, while other migrant destinations such as Silicon Valley, Madison, Wisconsin, and Stamford, Connecticut, have received comparatively less enforcement attention.

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