GITNUXREPORT 2026

Current Immigration Statistics

U.S. immigration faces record-breaking border encounters alongside complex legal arrivals.

Gitnux Team

Expert team of market researchers and data analysts.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 2,475,669 migrants at the Southwest border, a 458% increase from FY 2020.

Statistic 2

CBP reported 249,741 encounters at the Southwest border in December 2023 alone, marking the highest monthly total on record.

Statistic 3

Nationwide USBP encounters reached 3,201,144 in FY 2023, including 726,000 at the Northern border.

Statistic 4

In FY 2023, 1.7 million migrants were released into the U.S. interior after apprehension at the border.

Statistic 5

CBP expelled or removed 1.1 million migrants under Title 42 from March 2020 to May 2023.

Statistic 6

Southwest border encounters by single adults hit 1,000,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 7

Family unit encounters at Southwest border totaled 510,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 8

Unaccompanied children encounters reached 152,000 at Southwest border in FY 2023.

Statistic 9

In September 2023, CBP encountered 341,392 migrants nationwide.

Statistic 10

Gotaways, or known undetected crossings, estimated at 670,000 in FY 2023 by CBP.

Statistic 11

CBP's Tucson Sector recorded 284,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 12

San Diego Sector saw 230,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 13

El Paso Sector encounters totaled 200,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 14

Rio Grande Valley Sector had 310,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 15

Big Bend Sector recorded 15,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 16

In FY 2023, CBP encountered 2,045,838 migrants at the Southwest border through August.

Statistic 17

Northern border encounters surged to 190,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 18

CBP's Del Rio Sector had 290,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 19

Laredo Sector encounters: 280,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 20

Yuma Sector recorded 120,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 21

In October 2023, Southwest border encounters dropped to 240,000 due to policy changes.

Statistic 22

CBP paroled 1.2 million under humanitarian programs in FY 2023.

Statistic 23

USBP Title 42 expulsions: 2.8 million total from 2020-2023.

Statistic 24

FY 2024 encounters through March: 1.4 million nationwide.

Statistic 25

Single adult females encounters: 150,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 26

In 2022, India became the top origin for H-1B visas with 72% of approvals going to Indians.

Statistic 27

USCIS approved 386,000 H-1B petitions in FY 2022.

Statistic 28

Family-based green cards totaled 450,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 29

Employment-based green cards issued: 160,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 30

Diversity Visa lottery awarded 55,000 visas in FY 2023.

Statistic 31

Student visas (F-1) issued: 378,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 32

Over 1 million nonimmigrant visas were issued in FY 2023.

Statistic 33

B-1/B-2 visitor visas topped 6 million issuances in FY 2022 pre-pandemic levels.

Statistic 34

H-2A agricultural visas issued: 370,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 35

H-2B temporary non-agricultural visas: 130,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 36

L-1 intracompany transfer visas: 85,000 approvals in FY 2022.

Statistic 37

USCIS naturalized 969,000 individuals in FY 2023.

Statistic 38

EB-5 investor visas approved: 11,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 39

J-1 exchange visitor visas: 300,000 issued in FY 2022.

Statistic 40

O-1 extraordinary ability visas: 20,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 41

Refugee admissions: 60,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 42

Asylum grants: 55,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 43

H-4 dependent visas tied to H-1B: 200,000 in FY 2022.

Statistic 44

Canada issued 1.2 million study permits in 2023.

Statistic 45

Australia granted 195,000 permanent visas in 2022-23.

Statistic 46

UK net migration hit 685,000 in 2023.

Statistic 47

EU Blue Card issued to 30,000 in 2022.

Statistic 48

Germany admitted 250,000 skilled workers visas in 2023.

Statistic 49

TPS beneficiaries: 1 million in U.S. as of 2024.

Statistic 50

In FY 2022, Mexicans comprised 51% of Southwest border encounters at 1,041,000 total.

Statistic 51

Venezuelans made up 13% of encounters in FY 2022, totaling 268,000.

Statistic 52

Guatemalans accounted for 12% or 243,000 encounters in FY 2022.

Statistic 53

Hondurans represented 11% or 222,000 of FY 2022 Southwest encounters.

Statistic 54

Salvadorans were 5% or 102,000 of FY 2022 encounters.

Statistic 55

In FY 2023, over 500,000 Venezuelans were encountered at the U.S. border.

Statistic 56

Nicaraguans encounters surged to 200,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 57

Colombians numbered 100,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 58

Ecuadorians reached 80,000 border encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 59

Haitians accounted for 90,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 60

In FY 2023, Cubans were encountered 70,000 times at the border.

Statistic 61

Peruvians: 40,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 62

Chileans: 30,000 border encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 63

Brazilians reached 25,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 64

Chinese nationals encountered 24,000 times in FY 2023.

Statistic 65

Other than Mexican (OTM) encounters: 1.5 million in FY 2023.

Statistic 66

From FY 2019-2023, encounters from 150+ countries.

Statistic 67

Turks encountered 10,000 times in FY 2023.

Statistic 68

Russians: 12,000 encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 69

Uzbeks: 8,000 border encounters in FY 2023.

Statistic 70

ICE removed 142,580 individuals in FY 2023.

Statistic 71

Of ICE removals in FY 2023, 78% had criminal convictions or charges.

Statistic 72

ICE arrested 170,590 individuals in FY 2023.

Statistic 73

Title 8 apprehensions led to 740,000 removals/returns in FY 2023.

Statistic 74

ICE detained an average of 36,000 individuals daily in FY 2023.

Statistic 75

271,484 criminal aliens were arrested by ICE in FY 2023.

Statistic 76

Deportations to Mexico totaled 400,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 77

Guatemala received 150,000 removals in FY 2023.

Statistic 78

Honduras got 120,000 deportees in FY 2023.

Statistic 79

El Salvador removals: 80,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 80

ICE's ERO conducted 73,000 interior arrests in FY 2023.

Statistic 81

Fugitive operations arrested 20,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 82

Criminal alien removals: 110,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 83

Alternatives to Detention monitored 200,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 84

Colombia received 50,000 U.S. removals in FY 2023.

Statistic 85

India deportations: 10,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 86

China removals: 8,000 in FY 2023.

Statistic 87

ICE repatriated 60,000 via charter flights in FY 2023.

Statistic 88

HSI investigated 10,000 human smuggling cases in FY 2023.

Statistic 89

325,000 assaults on Border Patrol agents since 2017.

Statistic 90

CBP seized $15 billion in narcotics in FY 2023.

Statistic 91

142 lbs of fentanyl seized at ports in FY 2023.

Statistic 92

Unauthorized immigrants in U.S. workforce: 8.3 million or 4.8% of total in 2022.

Statistic 93

Immigrants founded 55% of U.S. billion-dollar startups as of 2023.

Statistic 94

Foreign-born population in U.S. reached 46.2 million in 2022, 14% of total.

Statistic 95

Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal taxes in 2022.

Statistic 96

Immigrants accounted for 28% of U.S. entrepreneurs in 2022.

Statistic 97

Foreign-born unemployment rate: 3.4% vs. 3.7% native-born in 2023.

Statistic 98

Immigrants remitted $79 billion from U.S. in 2022.

Statistic 99

45% of U.S. physicians are foreign-born as of 2023.

Statistic 100

Undocumented immigrants comprise 50% of U.S. farmworkers.

Statistic 101

Foreign-born households had median income $81,000 vs. $70,000 native in 2022.

Statistic 102

Immigrants fill 18% of U.S. construction jobs in 2023.

Statistic 103

Foreign-born poverty rate: 17% vs. 11% native-born in 2022.

Statistic 104

25% of U.S. startups valued over $1B founded by immigrants.

Statistic 105

Undocumented contribute $13B to state/local taxes annually.

Statistic 106

Global remittances reached $831B in 2022, led by U.S.

1/106

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If you think you've heard every immigration statistic, the sheer scale of the current moment will shock you: nearly 2.5 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border in a single year signals a system under unprecedented strain.

Key Takeaways

In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 2,475,669 migrants at the Southwest border, a 458% increase from FY 2020.
CBP reported 249,741 encounters at the Southwest border in December 2023 alone, marking the highest monthly total on record.
Nationwide USBP encounters reached 3,201,144 in FY 2023, including 726,000 at the Northern border.
In FY 2022, Mexicans comprised 51% of Southwest border encounters at 1,041,000 total.
Venezuelans made up 13% of encounters in FY 2022, totaling 268,000.
Guatemalans accounted for 12% or 243,000 encounters in FY 2022.
In 2022, India became the top origin for H-1B visas with 72% of approvals going to Indians.
USCIS approved 386,000 H-1B petitions in FY 2022.
Family-based green cards totaled 450,000 in FY 2022.
ICE removed 142,580 individuals in FY 2023.
Of ICE removals in FY 2023, 78% had criminal convictions or charges.
ICE arrested 170,590 individuals in FY 2023.
Unauthorized immigrants in U.S. workforce: 8.3 million or 4.8% of total in 2022.
Immigrants founded 55% of U.S. billion-dollar startups as of 2023.
Foreign-born population in U.S. reached 46.2 million in 2022, 14% of total.

U.S. immigration faces record-breaking border encounters alongside complex legal arrivals.

Border Encounters

In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 2,475,669 migrants at the Southwest border, a 458% increase from FY 2020.
CBP reported 249,741 encounters at the Southwest border in December 2023 alone, marking the highest monthly total on record.
Nationwide USBP encounters reached 3,201,144 in FY 2023, including 726,000 at the Northern border.
In FY 2023, 1.7 million migrants were released into the U.S. interior after apprehension at the border.
CBP expelled or removed 1.1 million migrants under Title 42 from March 2020 to May 2023.
Southwest border encounters by single adults hit 1,000,000 in FY 2023.
Family unit encounters at Southwest border totaled 510,000 in FY 2023.
Unaccompanied children encounters reached 152,000 at Southwest border in FY 2023.
In September 2023, CBP encountered 341,392 migrants nationwide.
Gotaways, or known undetected crossings, estimated at 670,000 in FY 2023 by CBP.
CBP's Tucson Sector recorded 284,000 encounters in FY 2023.
San Diego Sector saw 230,000 encounters in FY 2023.
El Paso Sector encounters totaled 200,000 in FY 2023.
Rio Grande Valley Sector had 310,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Big Bend Sector recorded 15,000 encounters in FY 2023.
In FY 2023, CBP encountered 2,045,838 migrants at the Southwest border through August.
Northern border encounters surged to 190,000 in FY 2023.
CBP's Del Rio Sector had 290,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Laredo Sector encounters: 280,000 in FY 2023.
Yuma Sector recorded 120,000 encounters in FY 2023.
In October 2023, Southwest border encounters dropped to 240,000 due to policy changes.
CBP paroled 1.2 million under humanitarian programs in FY 2023.
USBP Title 42 expulsions: 2.8 million total from 2020-2023.
FY 2024 encounters through March: 1.4 million nationwide.
Single adult females encounters: 150,000 in FY 2023.

Border Encounters Interpretation

The sheer volume of migrants at our borders—from millions of encounters to hundreds of thousands of "gotaways"—paints a picture of a system so overwhelmed it's less a controlled process and more a chaotic triage, proving that when policy meets desperation, the math gets messy fast.

Legal Immigration

In 2022, India became the top origin for H-1B visas with 72% of approvals going to Indians.
USCIS approved 386,000 H-1B petitions in FY 2022.
Family-based green cards totaled 450,000 in FY 2022.
Employment-based green cards issued: 160,000 in FY 2022.
Diversity Visa lottery awarded 55,000 visas in FY 2023.
Student visas (F-1) issued: 378,000 in FY 2022.
Over 1 million nonimmigrant visas were issued in FY 2023.
B-1/B-2 visitor visas topped 6 million issuances in FY 2022 pre-pandemic levels.
H-2A agricultural visas issued: 370,000 in FY 2023.
H-2B temporary non-agricultural visas: 130,000 in FY 2023.
L-1 intracompany transfer visas: 85,000 approvals in FY 2022.
USCIS naturalized 969,000 individuals in FY 2023.
EB-5 investor visas approved: 11,000 in FY 2023.
J-1 exchange visitor visas: 300,000 issued in FY 2022.
O-1 extraordinary ability visas: 20,000 in FY 2022.
Refugee admissions: 60,000 in FY 2023.
Asylum grants: 55,000 in FY 2022.
H-4 dependent visas tied to H-1B: 200,000 in FY 2022.
Canada issued 1.2 million study permits in 2023.
Australia granted 195,000 permanent visas in 2022-23.
UK net migration hit 685,000 in 2023.
EU Blue Card issued to 30,000 in 2022.
Germany admitted 250,000 skilled workers visas in 2023.
TPS beneficiaries: 1 million in U.S. as of 2024.

Legal Immigration Interpretation

While America's high-tech brain trust may be overwhelmingly sourced from one vendor, the broader immigration landscape paints a complex portrait of a nation—and world—reliant on a massive, diverse, and deeply human supply chain of talent, families, visitors, and those seeking refuge.

Origins of Migrants

In FY 2022, Mexicans comprised 51% of Southwest border encounters at 1,041,000 total.
Venezuelans made up 13% of encounters in FY 2022, totaling 268,000.
Guatemalans accounted for 12% or 243,000 encounters in FY 2022.
Hondurans represented 11% or 222,000 of FY 2022 Southwest encounters.
Salvadorans were 5% or 102,000 of FY 2022 encounters.
In FY 2023, over 500,000 Venezuelans were encountered at the U.S. border.
Nicaraguans encounters surged to 200,000 in FY 2023.
Colombians numbered 100,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Ecuadorians reached 80,000 border encounters in FY 2023.
Haitians accounted for 90,000 encounters in FY 2023.
In FY 2023, Cubans were encountered 70,000 times at the border.
Peruvians: 40,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Chileans: 30,000 border encounters in FY 2023.
Brazilians reached 25,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Chinese nationals encountered 24,000 times in FY 2023.
Other than Mexican (OTM) encounters: 1.5 million in FY 2023.
From FY 2019-2023, encounters from 150+ countries.
Turks encountered 10,000 times in FY 2023.
Russians: 12,000 encounters in FY 2023.
Uzbeks: 8,000 border encounters in FY 2023.

Origins of Migrants Interpretation

While Mexico continues to hold the dubious title of most frequent visitor to our southern doorstep, the guest list has become a truly global affair, with Venezuela now leading a surge of newcomers from every corner of a planet increasingly on the move.

Removals and Enforcement

ICE removed 142,580 individuals in FY 2023.
Of ICE removals in FY 2023, 78% had criminal convictions or charges.
ICE arrested 170,590 individuals in FY 2023.
Title 8 apprehensions led to 740,000 removals/returns in FY 2023.
ICE detained an average of 36,000 individuals daily in FY 2023.
271,484 criminal aliens were arrested by ICE in FY 2023.
Deportations to Mexico totaled 400,000 in FY 2023.
Guatemala received 150,000 removals in FY 2023.
Honduras got 120,000 deportees in FY 2023.
El Salvador removals: 80,000 in FY 2023.
ICE's ERO conducted 73,000 interior arrests in FY 2023.
Fugitive operations arrested 20,000 in FY 2023.
Criminal alien removals: 110,000 in FY 2023.
Alternatives to Detention monitored 200,000 in FY 2023.
Colombia received 50,000 U.S. removals in FY 2023.
India deportations: 10,000 in FY 2023.
China removals: 8,000 in FY 2023.
ICE repatriated 60,000 via charter flights in FY 2023.
HSI investigated 10,000 human smuggling cases in FY 2023.
325,000 assaults on Border Patrol agents since 2017.
CBP seized $15 billion in narcotics in FY 2023.
142 lbs of fentanyl seized at ports in FY 2023.

Removals and Enforcement Interpretation

The numbers paint a sobering portrait of a system strained to its limits, where the staggering volume of enforcement actions—from the 36,000 detained daily to the 740,000 removed at the border—reveals a profound operational and humanitarian challenge that statistics alone cannot resolve.

Socioeconomic Impacts

Unauthorized immigrants in U.S. workforce: 8.3 million or 4.8% of total in 2022.
Immigrants founded 55% of U.S. billion-dollar startups as of 2023.
Foreign-born population in U.S. reached 46.2 million in 2022, 14% of total.
Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal taxes in 2022.
Immigrants accounted for 28% of U.S. entrepreneurs in 2022.
Foreign-born unemployment rate: 3.4% vs. 3.7% native-born in 2023.
Immigrants remitted $79 billion from U.S. in 2022.
45% of U.S. physicians are foreign-born as of 2023.
Undocumented immigrants comprise 50% of U.S. farmworkers.
Foreign-born households had median income $81,000 vs. $70,000 native in 2022.
Immigrants fill 18% of U.S. construction jobs in 2023.
Foreign-born poverty rate: 17% vs. 11% native-born in 2022.
25% of U.S. startups valued over $1B founded by immigrants.
Undocumented contribute $13B to state/local taxes annually.
Global remittances reached $831B in 2022, led by U.S.

Socioeconomic Impacts Interpretation

The data reveals an uncomfortable but powerful truth: America's economy is addicted to immigrants, thriving on their hustle as entrepreneurs and physicians while awkwardly trying to deport the very hands, both documented and not, that sustain its farms, buildings, and tax base.

Sources & References

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