NewzNewly obtained data on the unprecedented surge of border crossings over the past decade is shedding light on who entered the U.S. Here is some information on the crossings, the data on 4.5 million migrants, and how The Associated Press obtained and analyzed it. Millions of migrants crossed the border from Mexico over the last decade and were released in the United States with notices to appear in immigration court or report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
They were released to seek asylum or similar immigration benefit on humanitarian grounds. It didn’t matter whether they arrived legally. Those who crossed the border illegally could, under U.S.
law and international treaty, exercise rights to claim asylum, arguing that they fled grave danger. Near the peak of the immigration surge, in 2023, some were told to wait 10 years for an initial court date. Each month, the government reports how many people are released in the U.S.
AP learned that agents recorded street addresses for everyone released — a self-reported destination for each immigrant. In June 2025, AP filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, seeking individual anonymized information on every person released at the Mexican border by ZIP code, nationality and other characteristics.
Anticipating objections on grounds of FOIA’s privacy exemptions, AP didn’t ask for names and addresses. CBP initially directed AP to data on its public website, but that did not provide the specifics. In its appeal, AP noted that the agency collected more detailed information.
In December, after months of back-and-forth communication, CBP produced records on 5,619,982 people arrested by U.S. Border Patrol for illegal entry from Oct. The files contained columns for nationality, age, gender, date, Border Patrol sector where they crossed, and — when applicable — ZIP code for U.S.
Summary from source