Data Tracks Where 4.5 Million Migrants Settled After Border Releases

An unprecedented surge in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border brought millions of people from more than 150 countries into the United States over the past decade, reshaping the nation’s immigrant population. An Associated Press analysis of federal records tracked the self-reported destinations of 4.5 million migrants released after crossing the border between October 2018 and July 2025. While many settled in established immigrant hubs such as New York and Miami, others moved to smaller communities including Elkhart, Indiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Dodge City, Kansas, transforming local neighborhoods and economies. The migrants came from an increasingly diverse range of countries, including India, Ecuador and Ghana, rather than predominantly Mexico as in earlier migration waves. The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, includes destination ZIP codes, nationalities, ages, genders and encounter details, but AP cautioned that some migrants may not have reached or remained at the addresses they provided.