Where refugees in New Jersey are arriving from
During the past five decades, the U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees, making it one of the leading countries for finding new homes for people fleeing violence, persecution, and war.
In 2021, then-President Donald Trump lowered the annual cap of refugees that could be admitted into the country to 15,000. Even as the Biden administration has raised the ceiling to 125,000, the annual number of refugees arriving in the U.S. didn't immediately bounce back to pre-Trump administration levels. The numbers are increasing though, with over 25,000 refugees arriving in the U.S. in the 2022 fiscal year, twice the 2021 total.
Refugee arrivals during the 2023 fiscal year dramatically outpaced the prior two years, reaching over 60,000 from October 2022 to September 2023.
In March 2024, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Congo, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. Each nation faces a unique set of circumstances that can make their citizens unsafe if they stay in their home country.
For the last three decades, Congo, also called the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been struggling with a series of civil wars and internal battles that have left millions of people displaced, both internally and externally, with many people fleeing to neighboring countries. Afghan refugees have been fleeing to neighboring countries for decades, especially to Pakistan and Iran, which combined host over 8 million Afghans. In Myanmar, state-sponsored violence against the Rohingya people has displaced nearly 2 million people internally. Another million are in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
Stacker referenced data from The Refugee Processing Center to compile statistics on the number of refugees and their countries of origin resettled in New Jersey in March 2024.
March refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in March
To New Jersey:
#1. Venezuela: 23
#2. Nicaragua: 18
#3. Congo: 10
#4. Afghanistan: 8
#4. El Salvador: 8
#6. Ukraine: 4
#7. Eritrea: 3
#8. Colombia: 1
To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Congo: 2,089
#2. Afghanistan: 1,031
#3. Myanmar: 765
#4. Syria: 594
#5. Venezuela: 563
States that accepted the most refugees in March:
#1. Texas: 916
#2. California: 495
#3. New York: 473
#4. Pennsylvania: 346
#5. Florida: 315
Read on to see the countries that New Jersey has accepted the most refugees from since the start of the fiscal year in October 2023.
#1. Syria
Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To New Jersey: 102
To the U.S. as a whole: 7,412
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. New York: 702
#2. Michigan: 699
#3. Pennsylvania: 516
#4. Texas: 434
#5. California: 409
#2. Venezuela
Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To New Jersey: 95
To the U.S. as a whole: 3,067
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 612
#2. Texas: 429
#3. Georgia: 170
#4. Illinois: 163
#5. Tennessee: 120
#3. Guatemala
Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To New Jersey: 75
To the U.S. as a whole: 2,220
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 301
#2. Texas: 210
#3. North Carolina: 163
#4. Florida: 141
#5. New York: 95
#4. El Salvador
Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To New Jersey: 55
To the U.S. as a whole: 789
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. Texas: 100
#2. California: 93
#3. Maryland: 78
#4. North Carolina: 62
#5. Virginia: 59
#5. Afghanistan
Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To New Jersey: 49
To the U.S. as a whole: 6,956
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 1,449
#2. Virginia: 710
#3. Texas: 700
#4. Washington: 482
#5. Maryland: 303
#6. Honduras
Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To New Jersey: 29
To the U.S. as a whole: 556
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 95
#2. Florida: 72
#3. Georgia: 40
#4. California: 37
#5. New York: 32
#7. Colombia
Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To New Jersey: 27
To the U.S. as a whole: 722
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 98
#2. North Carolina: 67
#3. Texas: 58
#4. New York: 52
#5. Washington: 46
#8. Nicaragua
Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To New Jersey: 26
To the U.S. as a whole: 939
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 161
#2. California: 78
#3. Texas: 65
#4. Minnesota: 46
#5. North Carolina: 40
#9. Pakistan
Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To New Jersey: 22
To the U.S. as a whole: 557
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 89
#2. Virginia: 57
#3. Texas: 53
#4. North Carolina: 46
#5. Maryland: 36
#10. Congo
Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To New Jersey: 11
To the U.S. as a whole: 12,018
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Texas: 1,049
#2. Kentucky: 1,013
#3. Arizona: 854
#4. New York: 762
#5. Ohio: 761
#11. Niger
Refugees that arrived from Niger since October 2023
To New Jersey: 6
To the U.S. as a whole: 8
Top states receiving refugees from Niger
#1. New Jersey: 6
#2. Georgia: 1
#2. Pennsylvania: 1
#12. Cameroon
Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To New Jersey: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 97
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. Texas: 11
#2. Pennsylvania: 10
#3. Nevada: 8
#4. California: 7
#5. South Carolina: 6
#12. Eritrea
Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To New Jersey: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 963
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 107
#2. Washington: 95
#3. Ohio: 67
#4. Maryland: 65
#5. North Carolina: 53
#12. Sri Lanka
Refugees that arrived from Sri Lanka since October 2023
To New Jersey: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 10
Top states receiving refugees from Sri Lanka
#1. Texas: 5
#2. New Jersey: 4
#3. Georgia: 1
#12. Cuba
Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2023
To New Jersey: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 88
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Florida: 39
#2. Texas: 10
#3. Tennessee: 7
#4. Washington: 6
#5. New Hampshire: 4
#12. Ukraine
Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To New Jersey: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 810
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 291
#2. California: 122
#3. New York: 42
#4. Ohio: 40
#5. Florida: 37
#17. Guinea
Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To New Jersey: 3
To the U.S. as a whole: 76
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 7
#2. North Carolina: 7
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Michigan: 5
#17. Palestine
Refugees that arrived from Palestine since October 2023
To New Jersey: 3
To the U.S. as a whole: 16
Top states receiving refugees from Palestine
#1. Illinois: 9
#2. New Jersey: 3
#3. Georgia: 2
#4. Ohio: 1
#4. Texas: 1
#19. Haiti
Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To New Jersey: 2
To the U.S. as a whole: 116
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 24
#2. Florida: 18
#3. Georgia: 14
#4. Colorado: 9
#5. California: 8
#20. Guyana
Refugees that arrived from Guyana since October 2023
To New Jersey: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 4
Top states receiving refugees from Guyana
#1. lowa: 2
#2. New Jersey: 1
#2. New York: 1
#20. Ivory Coast
Refugees that arrived from Ivory Coast since October 2023
To New Jersey: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 62
Top states receiving refugees from Ivory Coast
#1. Pennsylvania: 10
#2. Minnesota: 8
#3. Massachusetts: 7
#4. Arkansas: 5
#5. Florida: 4
#20. Somalia
Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To New Jersey: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,600
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 514
#2. Ohio: 126
#3. Arizona: 78
#3. New York: 78
#5. Georgia: 63
#20. Sudan
Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To New Jersey: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,067
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. New York: 83
#2. Texas: 80
#3. Pennsylvania: 76
#4. Nebraska: 65
#5. Missouri: 60
#20. Iraq
Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To New Jersey: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 844
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 154
#2. Michigan: 105
#3. Texas: 50
#4. Nebraska: 47
#5. Washington: 42
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 47 states.
