Special Report
States Where the Federal Government Encounters the Most Illegal Immigrants
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The 2024 presidential election is less than a year away, and for many voters, illegal immigration is top of mind. According to a June 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center, nearly half of all American adults see illegal immigration as a very big problem, including 25% of likely Democratic voters and 70% of likely Republican voters. (Here is a look at the most partisan issues in American politics.)
Their concerns are not unfounded. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported encounters with 3.2 million migrants in the country illegally in the 2023 fiscal year, up nearly 400% from fiscal 2020 — and the problem only appears to be getting worse. With over 613,000 encounters reported in the first two months of fiscal 2024, the rate of illegal migrant apprehensions and expulsions is on pace to climb another 16% year over year.
While public opinion on the issue of illegal immigration is closely linked with party affiliation, geography also likely plays a role, as encounters between federal law enforcement and illegal migrants are far more common in some states than in others.
Using data from the U.S. CBP, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most illegal immigrants. States, as well as Washington D.C., are ranked on the number of encounters between CBP agents and foreign nationals who entered the U.S. illegally between fiscal 2020 and the first two months of fiscal 2024, or Oct. 1, 2019 through Nov. 30, 2023. Encounters include apprehensions and expulsions under Title 8 and Title 42.
In seven states — Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming — the CBP reported no encounters with illegal migrants since October 2019. Of the remaining 43 states and Washington, D.C., the number of encounters ranges from only one to as many as 4.4 million.
The vast majority of migrants who enter the U.S. illegally do so through the southern border. According to the CBP, the four states along the U.S.-Mexico border accounted for more than 86% of illegal migrant apprehensions in the U.S. since October 2019.
Most illegal migrants come to the U.S. from countries in Latin America. Over half of all illegal migrants apprehended by CBP in the last four years were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, or Venezuela. Still, in recent years, federal agents have reported hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from other parts of the world, including countries in Europe and Asia. In over a dozen states, the largest share of illegal migrants came to the U.S. from Ukraine, and in nine states, primarily in the Northeast and upper Midwest, most illegal migrants were Canadian citizens. (Here is a look at the countries where at least half the population wants to move away.)
Here are the states where the federal government encounters the most illegal immigrants.
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