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Where refugees in Texas are arriving from

Written by:
March 7, 2024
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in Texas 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 February 2024, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Congo, Syria, and Afghanistan. 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. Syria has seen more than 5 million refugees flee to neighboring nations since 2011 while a longstanding civil war rages, with an additional 6.8 million people forced from their homes and seeking refuge elsewhere in the country. Afghan refugees have been fleeing to neighboring countries for decades, especially to Pakistan and Iran, which combined host over 8 million Afghans.

Stacker referenced data from The Refugee Processing Center to compile statistics on the number of refugees and their countries of origin resettled in Texas in February 2024.

February refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in February
To Texas:
#1. Congo: 168
#2. Afghanistan: 165
#3. Venezuela: 147
#4. Burma: 133
#5. Syria: 125
#6. Guatemala: 75
#7. El Salvador: 30
#8. Sudan: 29
#9. Republic of South Sudan: 23
#10. Eritrea: 20
#11. Somalia: 16
#11. Nicaragua: 16
#13. Colombia: 15
#14. Burundi: 13
#15. Honduras: 12
#15. Rwanda: 12
#17. Central African Republic: 11
#18. Iraq: 10
#19. Cambodia: 8
#19. Pakistan: 8
#21. Nigeria: 7
#22. Ethiopia: 5
#23. Iran: 4
#24. Sri Lanka: 3
#25. Senegal: 2
#25. Cameroon: 2
#25. Ukraine: 2
#28. Cuba: 1

To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Congo: 2,426
#2. Afghanistan: 1,299
#3. Venezuela: 1,230
#4. Syria: 981
#5. Burma: 826

States that accepted the most refugees in February:
#1. Texas: 1,062
#2. California: 572
#3. Florida: 554
#4. New York: 507
#5. Arizona: 450

Read on to see the countries that Texas has accepted the most refugees from since the start of the fiscal year in October 2023.

Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.
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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#1. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Texas: 804

To the U.S. as a whole: 9,929
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Kentucky: 893
#2. Texas: 804
#3. Arizona: 747
#4. Ohio: 645
#5. New York: 600

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
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Canva

#2. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Texas: 542

To the U.S. as a whole: 5,925
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 1,228
#2. Virginia: 655
#3. Texas: 542
#4. Washington: 440
#5. Maryland: 272

People buying spices at a street market in Damascus
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hanohiki // Shutterstock

#3. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Texas: 375

To the U.S. as a whole: 6,818
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. New York: 673
#2. Michigan: 655
#3. Pennsylvania: 465
#4. Texas: 375
#5. California: 361

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#4. Burma

Refugees that arrived from Burma since October 2023
To Texas: 327

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,899
Top states receiving refugees from Burma
#1. Texas: 327
#2. Illinois: 297
#3. New York: 266
#4. Georgia: 192
#5. Arizona: 189

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
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Canva

#5. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Texas: 304

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,504
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 501
#2. Texas: 304
#3. Georgia: 146
#4. Illinois: 143
#5. Tennessee: 110

Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro
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Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#6. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Texas: 172

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,920
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 270
#2. Texas: 172
#3. North Carolina: 148
#4. Florida: 113
#5. New York: 87

Woman and child on busy market street of Copan
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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#7. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Texas: 87

To the U.S. as a whole: 505
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 87
#2. Florida: 65
#3. California: 33
#4. Georgia: 32
#4. New York: 32

An aerial view of El Salvador.
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Canva

#8. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Texas: 80

To the U.S. as a whole: 691
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. California: 84
#2. Texas: 80
#3. Maryland: 76
#4. Virginia: 55
#5. North Carolina: 53

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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#9. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Texas: 73

To the U.S. as a whole: 735
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 73
#2. Washington: 68
#3. Maryland: 61
#4. North Carolina: 45
#5. Ohio: 41

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punghi // Shutterstock

#10. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Texas: 56

To the U.S. as a whole: 610
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. Nebraska: 59
#2. Texas: 56
#3. Connecticut: 53
#4. Colorado: 46
#5. Minnesota: 44

Many people on a dirt street in Shendi
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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#11. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Texas: 55

To the U.S. as a whole: 870
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. Missouri: 57
#2. Nebraska: 56
#3. Texas: 55
#3. New York: 55
#5. Pennsylvania: 54

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia
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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#12. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Texas: 54

To the U.S. as a whole: 685
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 98
#2. North Carolina: 59
#3. Texas: 54
#4. New York: 49
#5. Washington: 46

People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore
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W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#13. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Texas: 53

To the U.S. as a whole: 481
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 63
#2. Virginia: 57
#3. Texas: 53
#4. North Carolina: 46
#5. Maryland: 30

People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua
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Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#14. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Texas: 48

To the U.S. as a whole: 786
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 151
#2. California: 60
#3. Texas: 48
#4. Minnesota: 44
#5. North Carolina: 40

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sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#15. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Texas: 45

To the U.S. as a whole: 395
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Texas: 45
#2. Missouri: 38
#3. Georgia: 31
#4. Michigan: 24
#4. Massachusetts: 24

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Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#15. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Texas: 45

To the U.S. as a whole: 762
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 136
#2. Michigan: 95
#3. Nebraska: 45
#3. Texas: 45
#5. Washington: 38

Burundian people gather at an outside market
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Rostasedlacek // Shutterstock

#17. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2023
To Texas: 32

To the U.S. as a whole: 217
Top states receiving refugees from Burundi
#1. Texas: 32
#2. New York: 29
#3. Arizona: 28
#4. Pennsylvania: 14
#5. Maryland: 13

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa
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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#18. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Texas: 27

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,283
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 419
#2. Ohio: 110
#3. Georgia: 63
#4. New York: 62
#5. Arizona: 61

People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran
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Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#19. Iran

Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2023
To Texas: 18

To the U.S. as a whole: 205
Top states receiving refugees from Iran
#1. California: 110
#2. Texas: 18
#3. North Carolina: 10
#4. Washington: 9
#4. Illinois: 9

People selling bananas at a street market in Huye
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Oscar Espinosa // Shutterstock

#20. Rwanda

Refugees that arrived from Rwanda since October 2023
To Texas: 14

To the U.S. as a whole: 79
Top states receiving refugees from Rwanda
#1. Texas: 14
#2. North Carolina: 11
#3. South Carolina: 10
#4. Kentucky: 8
#5. Illinois: 6

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.
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Canva

#21. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Texas: 11

To the U.S. as a whole: 88
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. Texas: 11
#2. Pennsylvania: 10
#3. South Carolina: 6
#3. Massachusetts: 6
#3. California: 6

People walking on the street in Aksum
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Artush // Shutterstock

#21. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Texas: 11

To the U.S. as a whole: 232
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 67
#2. Ohio: 25
#3. Washington: 24
#4. Georgia: 21
#5. lowa: 11

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.
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#23. Cuba

Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2023
To Texas: 10

To the U.S. as a whole: 76
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Florida: 32
#2. Texas: 10
#3. Tennessee: 7
#4. Washington: 6
#5. New Hampshire: 4

People on a busy street in Phnom Penh
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aleksander hunta // Shutterstock

#23. Cambodia

Refugees that arrived from Cambodia since October 2023
To Texas: 10

To the U.S. as a whole: 22
Top states receiving refugees from Cambodia
#1. Texas: 10
#2. North Carolina: 6
#3. Maine: 3
#4. Rhode Island: 2
#5. Oklahoma: 1

The skyline of Tripoli, Lybia.
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Canva

#25. Libya

Refugees that arrived from Libya since October 2023
To Texas: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 9
Top states receiving refugees from Libya
#1. Texas: 9

A distant view of Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria.
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Canva

#26. Nigeria

Refugees that arrived from Nigeria since October 2023
To Texas: 7

To the U.S. as a whole: 77
Top states receiving refugees from Nigeria
#1. Missouri: 14
#2. Arizona: 12
#3. Illinois: 9
#4. Massachusetts: 8
#4. North Carolina: 8

Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff
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Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock

#27. Senegal

Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2023
To Texas: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 45
Top states receiving refugees from Senegal
#1. Massachusetts: 13
#2. Texas: 6
#3. Ohio: 4
#4. Illinois: 3
#4. Pennsylvania: 3

Busy street in Colombo, Sri Lanka
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alionabirukova // Shutterstock

#28. Sri Lanka

Refugees that arrived from Sri Lanka since October 2023
To Texas: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 9
Top states receiving refugees from Sri Lanka
#1. New Jersey: 4
#1. Texas: 4
#3. Georgia: 1

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Beata Tabak // Shutterstock

#29. Ivory Coast

Refugees that arrived from Ivory Coast since October 2023
To Texas: 3

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

Pedestrians and traffic on the streets of Almaty
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Omri Eliyahu // Shutterstock

#29. Kazakhstan

Refugees that arrived from Kazakhstan since October 2023
To Texas: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 104
Top states receiving refugees from Kazakhstan
#1. Washington: 39
#2. California: 19
#2. Pennsylvania: 19
#4. Oregon: 10
#5. Massachusetts: 5

Wide view of traditional, older buildings on a hillside in Yemen.
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Canva

#29. Yemen

Refugees that arrived from Yemen since October 2023
To Texas: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 87
Top states receiving refugees from Yemen
#1. Michigan: 16
#2. Georgia: 13
#2. New York: 13
#4. Arizona: 8
#4. Montana: 8

Aerial drone shot of Conakry, Guinea.
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Flightseeing-Germany // Shutterstock

#32. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Texas: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 73
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 7
#2. North Carolina: 7
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Michigan: 5

Woman walking on busy street in Kampala with basket of mangos
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Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock

#32. Uganda

Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2023
To Texas: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 39
Top states receiving refugees from Uganda
#1. Massachusetts: 6
#2. Missouri: 5
#2. Ohio: 5
#4. Michigan: 4
#4. Washington: 4

Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day
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Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#32. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Texas: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 725
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 249
#2. California: 110
#3. Ohio: 40
#4. New York: 37
#5. Kentucky: 35

People crossing a busy street near Moscow’s business center
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YuryKara // Shutterstock

#35. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2023
To Texas: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 184
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. Washington: 51
#2. California: 37
#3. Minnesota: 20
#4. North Carolina: 19
#4. Oregon: 19

People walking on busy street with market stalls in Gaza
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Stephen Butler // Shutterstock

#35. Palestine

Refugees that arrived from Palestine since October 2023
To Texas: 1

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

An aerial drone view of niarela Bakamo, Mali
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Canva

#35. Mali

Refugees that arrived from Mali since October 2023
To Texas: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 138
Top states receiving refugees from Mali
#1. New York: 24
#1. Pennsylvania: 24
#3. South Carolina: 22
#4. Michigan: 12
#5. Missouri: 11

A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.
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Canva

#35. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Texas: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 83
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 19
#2. Florida: 11
#3. Georgia: 9
#4. California: 8
#5. Missouri: 4

Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.
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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#35. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Texas: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 9,929
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Kentucky: 893
#2. Texas: 804
#3. Arizona: 747
#4. Ohio: 645
#5. New York: 600

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.

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