An analysis of data obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request reveals that millions of migrants have transformed the demographic landscape of the United States over the last decade, bringing people from all over the world not only to traditional destinations like New York and Miami.
The analysis covers the federal records of destinations declared by 4.5 million migrants released in U.S. territory after crossing the Mexican border —legally or illegally— between October 2018 and July 2025.
The data includes destination postal code, country of citizenship, age, gender, and date of the encounter with border authorities.
"Some went to cities that have long been magnets for immigrants — New York, Miami — but increasingly, others found their way to smaller cities with a less developed immigrant presence," the AP report notes.
La llegada de cubanos y otros migrantes a nuevos destinos dentro de Estados Unidos es parte de un panorama migratorio en constante cambio. Sigue toda la actualidad sobre este tema en nuestra sección de
Places like Elkhart, Indiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Dodge City, Kansas, saw their neighborhoods and demographic composition transformed.
Cincinnati received a large influx of migrants from West Africa and became one of the most popular destinations for people from Uzbekistan.
The Border Patrol encountered migrants from 174 countries in a single year, a stark contrast to previous periods when crossings were almost exclusively from Mexicans and Central Americans. The growth of social media and new migration routes were key factors in bringing people from all over the world.
The borough of Queens in New York recorded at least 25 nationalities with significant arrivals. Five nations each sent over 7,000 people to that one borough: Ecuador, China, Colombia, Venezuela, and India.
Philadelphia, for its part, welcomed over 1,000 migrants from 11 different nationalities, led by Brazil, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, but also including Russia and Venezuela.
Another significant finding from the analysis is the change in the profile of those crossing: "almost six out of ten migrants released at the border were women and children, a drastic change compared to a few years ago, when the migrants were predominantly men."
Tulsa, Oklahoma, attracted Mexican women and children; Spring Valley, New York, welcomed Ecuadorian women and children; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, received Guatemalan women.
Cubans beyond Florida
For Cubans, Florida remained the primary destination—nine of the ten most frequently used zip codes were located in that state—yet the AP analysis confirms significant flows to other parts of the country.
Louisville, Kentucky, has become one of the new hubs of the Cuban diaspora. Around 30,000 Cubans have settled in Jefferson County, with over 15,000 arriving since 2021, drawn by jobs at companies like GE Appliances, Amazon, and UPS.
Grand Island, Nebraska, is home to 1,377 Cubans, the largest community of that origin in the entire state. Odessa, Texas, is another of the emerging destinations.
This process accelerated starting in 2021, with the economic and political crisis in Cuba, which triggered a massive exodus. The Cuban community in the U.S. reached 2.9 million people in 2024, an increase of 23% compared to 2019, becoming the third largest Latino population group in the country.
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