Countries Where the Most Illegal Immigrants Were Expelled from the US During the Pandemic

Special Report

Published: January 27, 2024 10:31 am

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration enacted strict new border policies, ostensibly to curb the spread of the virus. The program, commonly known as Title 42, granted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials broad authority to turn illegal migrants away without the right to asylum. Under Title 42, which was ultimately lifted in May 2023, well into the Biden presidency, nearly 3 million migrants were expelled or denied entry to the United States.

Using data from the U.S. CBP, 24/7 Wall St. identified the countries with the most citizens expelled from the U.S. under Title 42. The 21 countries with available data are ranked on the total number of migrant expulsions over the 38 months Title 42 was in effect — spanning from fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2023. All supplemental data is also from the CBP.

The countries on this list span four continents, and among them, the number of migrants expelled from the U.S. ranges from only 10 to well over 1 million. Several countries on this list have been devastated in recent years by armed conflict, including Myanmar and Ukraine. Others, such as Haiti and Venezuela, are on the verge of failed-state status after years of political and economic turmoil. (These are the countries most people want to leave.)

While Title 42 was the subject of widespread controversy, members of Congress are again considering proposals to reinstate many of its provisions as a means of reducing illegal border crossings. The number of reported CBP encounters with illegal migrants on the Southern U.S. border alone surged by over 440% in the last four years — from fewer than half a million in fiscal 2020, to nearly 2.5 million in fiscal 2023.

Now, Republicans on Capitol Hill are refusing any further military aid to Ukraine without new, strict border security policies that have been likened to Title 42 by immigration advocacy groups. (Here is a look at the countries where most people are immigrants.)

21. Myanmar (Burma)

Government building (Yangon Ci... by Francisco Anzola

Government building (Yangon Ci... (CC BY 2.0) by Francisco Anzola

Burmese citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 10
State reporting the most Burmese expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 5 expulsions (50.0% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Burmese expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 4 expulsions (40.0% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Burmese expulsions from 2020-2023: California; 1 expulsion (10.0% of total)
Year with the most Burmese expulsions since 2020: 2022; 6 expulsions (60.0% of total)
Years with the fewest Burmese expulsions since 2020: 2020 and 2023; none

20. Turkey

#Turkey (CC BY 2.0) by Hyeong Seok Kim

Turkish citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 252
State reporting the most Turkish expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 214 expulsions (84.9% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Turkish expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 24 expulsions (9.5% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Turkish expulsions from 2020-2023: Washington; 6 expulsions (2.4% of total)
Year with the most Turkish expulsions since 2020: 2022; 131 expulsions (52.0% of total)
Year with the fewest Turkish expulsions since 2020: 2020; 3 expulsions (1.2% of total)

19. Russia

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Russian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 383
State reporting the most Russian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 160 expulsions (41.8% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Russian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 93 expulsions (24.3% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Russian expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 74 expulsions (19.3% of total)
Year with the most Russian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 163 expulsions (42.6% of total)
Year with the fewest Russian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 22 expulsions (5.7% of total)

18. Romania

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Romanian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 425
State reporting the most Romanian expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 171 expulsions (40.2% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Romanian expulsions from 2020-2023: Maine; 65 expulsions (15.3% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Romanian expulsions from 2020-2023: Vermont; 43 expulsions (10.1% of total)
Year with the most Romanian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 188 expulsions (44.2% of total)
Year with the fewest Romanian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 40 expulsions (9.4% of total)

17. Ukraine

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Ukrainian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 608
State reporting the most Ukrainian expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 390 expulsions (64.1% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Ukrainian expulsions from 2020-2023: California; 102 expulsions (16.8% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Ukrainian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 78 expulsions (12.8% of total)
Year with the most Ukrainian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 390 expulsions (64.1% of total)
Year with the fewest Ukrainian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 07 expulsions (1.2% of total)

16. Philippines

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Philippine citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 810
State reporting the most Philippine expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 623 expulsions (76.9% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Philippine expulsions from 2020-2023: Maine; 97 expulsions (12.0% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Philippine expulsions from 2020-2023: Montana; 42 expulsions (5.2% of total)
Year with the most Philippine expulsions since 2020: 2022; 336 expulsions (41.5% of total)
Year with the fewest Philippine expulsions since 2020: 2020; 33 expulsions (4.1% of total)

15. China

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Chinese citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 2,485
State reporting the most Chinese expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 2,067 expulsions (83.2% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Chinese expulsions from 2020-2023: Washington; 124 expulsions (5.0% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Chinese expulsions from 2020-2023: Maine; 97 expulsions (3.9% of total)
Year with the most Chinese expulsions since 2020: 2022; 1,401 expulsions (56.4% of total)
Year with the fewest Chinese expulsions since 2020: 2020; 95 expulsions (3.8% of total)

14. Peru

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Peruvian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 4,824
State reporting the most Peruvian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 3,215 expulsions (66.6% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Peruvian expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 959 expulsions (19.9% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Peruvian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 472 expulsions (9.8% of total)
Year with the most Peruvian expulsions since 2020: 2023; 2,789 expulsions (57.8% of total)
Year with the fewest Peruvian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 50 expulsions (1.0% of total)

13. Canada

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Canadian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 6,459
State reporting the most Canadian expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 4,548 expulsions (70.4% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Canadian expulsions from 2020-2023: Maine; 832 expulsions (12.9% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Canadian expulsions from 2020-2023: Vermont; 288 expulsions (4.5% of total)
Year with the most Canadian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 3,339 expulsions (51.7% of total)
Year with the fewest Canadian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 538 expulsions (8.3% of total)

12. Brazil

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Brazilian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 8,356
State reporting the most Brazilian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 3,366 expulsions (40.3% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Brazilian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 1,650 expulsions (19.7% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Brazilian expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 1,628 expulsions (19.5% of total)
Year with the most Brazilian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 5,017 expulsions (60.0% of total)
Year with the fewest Brazilian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 268 expulsions (3.2% of total)

11. India

Source: Adrian Catalin Lazar / Getty Images

Indian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 10,527
State reporting the most Indian expulsions from 2020-2023: New York; 9,550 expulsions (90.7% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Indian expulsions from 2020-2023: Washington; 266 expulsions (2.5% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Indian expulsions from 2020-2023: Maine; 232 expulsions (2.2% of total)
Year with the most Indian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 5,133 expulsions (48.8% of total)
Year with the fewest Indian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 310 expulsions (2.9% of total)

10. Nicaragua

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Nicaraguan citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 10,885
State reporting the most Nicaraguan expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 6,384 expulsions (58.6% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Nicaraguan expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 2,865 expulsions (26.3% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Nicaraguan expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 1,015 expulsions (9.3% of total)
Year with the most Nicaraguan expulsions since 2020: 2022; 4,158 expulsions (38.2% of total)
Year with the fewest Nicaraguan expulsions since 2020: 2020; 370 expulsions (3.4% of total)

9. Cuba

Cuba (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Pedro Szekely

Cuban citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 20,970
State reporting the most Cuban expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 7,755 expulsions (37.0% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Cuban expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 7,684 expulsions (36.6% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Cuban expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 4,021 expulsions (19.2% of total)
Year with the most Cuban expulsions since 2020: 2021; 7,229 expulsions (34.5% of total)
Year with the fewest Cuban expulsions since 2020: 2023; 4,085 expulsions (19.5% of total)

8. Haiti

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Haitian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 23,669
State reporting the most Haitian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 16,860 expulsions (71.2% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Haitian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 4,868 expulsions (20.6% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Haitian expulsions from 2020-2023: California; 1,624 expulsions (6.9% of total)
Year with the most Haitian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 12,358 expulsions (52.2% of total)
Year with the fewest Haitian expulsions since 2020: 2023; 349 expulsions (1.5% of total)

7. Colombia

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Colombian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 26,560
State reporting the most Colombian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 15,597 expulsions (58.7% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Colombian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 6,090 expulsions (22.9% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Colombian expulsions from 2020-2023: California; 2,709 expulsions (10.2% of total)
Year with the most Colombian expulsions since 2020: 2023; 13,108 expulsions (49.4% of total)
Year with the fewest Colombian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 56 expulsions (0.2% of total)

6. Venezuela

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Venezuelan citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 40,892
State reporting the most Venezuelan expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 34,214 expulsions (83.7% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Venezuelan expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 3,310 expulsions (8.1% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Venezuelan expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 2,466 expulsions (6.0% of total)
Year with the most Venezuelan expulsions since 2020: 2023; 38,853 expulsions (95.0% of total)
Year with the fewest Venezuelan expulsions since 2020: 2020; 49 expulsions (0.1% of total)

5. Ecuador

Ecuador (CC BY 2.0) by Footprint Books

Ecuadorian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 72,512
State reporting the most Ecuadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 37,332 expulsions (51.5% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Ecuadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 26,426 expulsions (36.4% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Ecuadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 8,115 expulsions (11.2% of total)
Year with the most Ecuadorian expulsions since 2020: 2021; 54,683 expulsions (75.4% of total)
Year with the fewest Ecuadorian expulsions since 2020: 2022; 1,155 expulsions (1.6% of total)

4. El Salvador

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El Salvadorian citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 140,169
State reporting the most El Salvadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 114,433 expulsions (81.6% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most El Salvadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 14,697 expulsions (10.5% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most El Salvadorian expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 6,677 expulsions (4.8% of total)
Year with the most El Salvadorian expulsions since 2020: 2021; 56,769 expulsions (40.5% of total)
Year with the fewest El Salvadorian expulsions since 2020: 2020; 5,946 expulsions (4.2% of total)

3. Honduras

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Honduran citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 372,976
State reporting the most Honduran expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 326,611 expulsions (87.6% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Honduran expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 21,747 expulsions (5.8% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Honduran expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 18,411 expulsions (4.9% of total)
Year with the most Honduran expulsions since 2020: 2021; 167,388 expulsions (44.9% of total)
Year with the fewest Honduran expulsions since 2020: 2020; 17,041 expulsions (4.6% of total)

2. Guatemala

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Guatemalan citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 406,240
State reporting the most Guatemalan expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 245,123 expulsions (60.3% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Guatemalan expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 95,279 expulsions (23.5% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Guatemalan expulsions from 2020-2023: New Mexico; 59,296 expulsions (14.6% of total)
Year with the most Guatemalan expulsions since 2020: 2021; 173,679 expulsions (42.8% of total)
Year with the fewest Guatemalan expulsions since 2020: 2020; 15,161 expulsions (3.7% of total)

1. Mexico

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Mexican citizens expelled from the U.S. from 2020-2023: 1,783,494
State reporting the most Mexican expulsions from 2020-2023: Texas; 719,097 expulsions (40.3% of total)
State reporting the 2nd most Mexican expulsions from 2020-2023: California; 433,321 expulsions (24.3% of total)
State reporting the 3rd most Mexican expulsions from 2020-2023: Arizona; 403,372 expulsions (22.6% of total)
Year with the most Mexican expulsions since 2020: 2022; 693,044 expulsions (38.9% of total)
Year with the fewest Mexican expulsions since 2020: 2020; 157,952 expulsions (8.9% of total)