Salt Lake City, Denver, and Fort Myers have emerged as popular destinations for immigrants arriving in the United States during a period of increased border crossings. According to data obtained by the Associated Press from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), nearly 2.5 million people who entered the country either illegally or through the CBP One online appointment app reported their intended destinations between May 12, 2023, and January 18, 2025.
The CBP is required to collect street addresses from individuals released into the U.S. with humanitarian protections or notices to appear in immigration court for asylum proceedings. While some may have moved after their initial arrival, this data provides insight into how recent migration patterns have shifted across the country.
The period covered in the data spans from when President Joe Biden’s administration ended COVID-19 asylum restrictions to when President Donald Trump began his second term and declared a national emergency at the border. The figures show a continued trend away from California toward other regions where job opportunities are more plentiful.
Recent years have also seen migrants coming from over 100 countries, compared to previous decades when most arrivals were from Mexico and Central America. After COVID-19, there was an increase in migrants from Venezuela and neighboring South American countries, making Florida a more attractive destination due to established communities of those nationalities.
Miami led all metropolitan areas per capita with 2,191 immigrant arrivals for every 100,000 residents. Other cities with high per-capita arrivals included Fort Myers (1,782), Salt Lake City (1,685), Denver (1,673), and New York (1,542). Additional metro areas such as Orlando; Austin; Dallas-Fort Worth; Houston; Louisville; Indianapolis; Nashville; and Chicago also saw significant numbers of new arrivals relative to their populations.
California did not have any metropolitan area with more than 1,000 arrivals per 100,000 residents during this period. San Jose came close but did not reach that threshold. Los Angeles ranked as the 22nd most-favored destination among immigrants while San Francisco was ranked 24th.
Florida had four cities among the top twenty destinations: Miami and Fort Myers took first and second place respectively while Orlando was tenth and Tampa seventeenth.
In terms of total numbers rather than per capita rates, New York had the highest number of arrivals at 300,650—more than double any other metropolitan area. Miami, Dallas, and Houston were the only other metros with over 100,000 newcomers each.
At the state level on a per-capita basis, Florida topped all states with 1,271 immigrant arrivals for every 100,000 residents. New York followed closely with 1,216 arrivals per capita while Texas had 1,104. Colorado (1,063), New Jersey (1,029), and Utah (1,015) also exceeded one thousand arrivals per hundred thousand residents.
By sheer volume of arrivals by state: Texas led with about 336,620 newcomers followed by Florida at approximately 287,340; California at roughly 251,130; New York at about 238,010; and Illinois at around 106,300.
The number of migrants released at the border has risen over time—climbing during Barack Obama’s presidency as well as Donald Trump’s first term—and surged under President Biden’s administration. Millions were released under Biden including more than nine hundred thousand who entered legally through CBP One since its launch in January 2023 until it was discontinued by Trump in January of this year.
Illegal crossings—and releases into the United States—dropped significantly after Biden imposed stricter asylum rules in June 2024 before declining further under Trump’s renewed policies.
