Immigration Map Shows States With Most Illegal Border Crossings

The scale of illegal border crossings in the United States has been laid bare in a new analysis of the latest official figures.

A map created by Newsweek highlights the states facing the biggest challenge and illustrates why the U.S.-Mexico border in particular is such a contentious issue. The debate surrounding migration has only heightened in the run-up to the presidential election in November.

While states bordering Mexico, including California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, have topped the list, New York, Florida and Washington between them saw well over 150,000 attempted illegal crossings in a year.

According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Texas experienced the highest number of crossings overall, as 1,399,790 migrants attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico in 2022, compared to 1,115,906 in 2021. Texas faces the most significant obstacles in deterring unauthorized entry into the United States due to its extensive border with Mexico.

Arizona also experiences a substantial number of intercepted illegal border crossings. The state saw 571,720 crossings intercepted by authorities, while California came in at third most with 362,292 cases of migrants attempting to cross from Mexico.

New Mexico was fourth, with 143,857, while New York rounded out the top five with 81,078 known cases of migrants trying to illegally enter the U.S.

The analysis comes after migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border fell to a three-year low in June under President Joe Biden as he imposed a major crackdown on those seeking asylum.

Figures show 84,000 migrants crossed the southern border without authorization in June, according to preliminary Customs and Border Protection data.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has repeatedly hit out at Biden on social media over the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. His policies have been strongly challenged by the president, and Abbott remains one of Biden's fiercest opponents as he searches for ways to control illegal immigration into Texas and share the burden with other states.

In Abbott's latest statement on X about Biden after the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, he said: "For months, Biden has abused the justice system as a political weapon. Now, he attacks SCOTUS for confirming presidential immunity for ALL presidents. He can't fool the American people. This November, they will fire Joe Biden & return Donald Trump as President."

But Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently defended the president's record on illegal immigration.

He said in a statement in late June: "In Tucson, we have seen a more than 45 percent drop in U.S. Border Patrol encounters since the president took action, and repatriations of encountered individuals in Tucson have increased by nearly 150 percent. As a result, in Tucson, we have seen a more than 80 percent decrease in individuals placed into immigration proceedings and our backlogged court system."

Andrew Selee, president of the think tank Migration Policy Institute, told Mexico News Daily that the Biden administration deserves "credit" for June's downward trend in border crossings.

"The numbers have been going down before the presidential announcement, but they went down a lot more afterward, so I think you have to give some credit to that," he said. "We have to assume, if nothing else, that in the short term, it has dissuaded some people."