The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around ** million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over * million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over *** million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.

Immigration and political division

Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Border Crossing Data provide summary statistics for inbound crossings at the U.S.-Canada and the U.S.-Mexico border at the port level. Data are available for trucks, trains, containers, buses, personal vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians. Border crossing data are collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data reflect the number of vehicles, containers, passengers or pedestrians entering the United States. CBP does not collect comparable data on outbound crossings. Users seeking data on outbound counts may therefore want to review data from individual bridge operators, border state governments, or the Mexican and Canadian governments.

Significantly more men were apprehended by the United States Border Patrol than women in the the fiscal year of 2020. Nationwide, 329,347 men were apprehended by Border Patrol in that year, compared to 75,678 women who were apprehended.

Number of personal vehicle passengers, train passengers, bus passengers, and pedestrians entering the United States from Mexico. The Bureau of Transportation of Statistics releases incoming border crossing statistics using data collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Number of trucks entering the United States from Mexico. The Bureau of Transportation of Statistics releases incoming border crossing statistics using data collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Analysis of ‘Border Crossing Entry Data’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/656e0b2d-60f1-49e8-a3a7-073602d441a2 on 12 February 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Border Crossing Data provide summary statistics for inbound crossings at the U.S.-Canada and the U.S.-Mexico border at the port level. Data are available for trucks, trains, containers, buses, personal vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians. Border crossing data are collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data reflect the number of vehicles, containers, passengers or pedestrians entering the United States. CBP does not collect comparable data on outbound crossings. Users seeking data on outbound counts may therefore want to review data from individual bridge operators, border state governments, or the Mexican and Canadian governments.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

Since 2014, at least 9,787 persons have lost their lives or gone missing in the Americas trying to migrate. The figures are presumed to be considerably higher since, as the source warns, collecting this sort of data is particularly challenging, especially in Mexico, the Darien Gap, and maritime routes. 2022 has been the deadliest year to date, since more than one thousand migrants have been reported as dead or missing. The U.S.-Mexico border crossing is the migration route in the Americas with most reported deaths or missing since 2014.

The Border Crossing Entry Data, provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), offers summary statistics on inbound crossings at U.S. land ports along the 🇨🇦 Canada-U.S. and 🇲🇽 Mexico-U.S. borders. The dataset includes counts for 🚛 trucks, 🚂 trains, 📦 containers, 🚌 buses, 🚗 personal vehicles, 🧍 passengers, and 🚶 pedestrians entering the United States.

📊 Data Collection & Coverage 🔹 Originator: 🛂 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 🔹 Scope: Captures the number of vehicles, containers, passengers, or pedestrians entering the U.S. 🔹 Limitations:

🚫 CBP does not collect data on outbound crossings. 🔍 Users seeking outbound data should refer to bridge operators, border state governments, or the Mexican and Canadian governments. 🔹 Level of Reporting: Data is reported at the 📍 port level, aggregating multiple entry points within each port. 🔓 Access & Use ✅ Public Availability: This dataset is open for public access and use. 📝 License: No license information was provided. However, if created by a U.S. government officer or employee, it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

🔗 Source & More Information: 📂 Data.gov - Border Crossing Entry Data

Since 2014, the most common known cause of death for migrants in transit in the Americas has been drowning, followed by vehicle accidents or deaths liked to hazardous transport. The U.S.-Mexico border is the most deadly route, as 8,423 migrants have been recorded dead or missing trying to cross it. The real figures of deaths and missing people are expected to be considerably higher, as the source warns about the difficulties and challenges of collecting this data, especially in Mexico, the Darien Gap, and maritime routes.

The enacted border patrol program budget in the United States has increased from 262.65 million U.S. dollars for the 1990 fiscal year to 4.9 billion U.S. dollars for the 2024 fiscal year. However, the 2024 fiscal year budget request was less than the enacted budget in 2023, which was over 5.4 billion U.S. dollars.

This statistic portrays the number of border crossings for loaded truck containers from Mexico and Canada to the United States between 2000 and 2019. In 2019, 9.13 million loaded truck containers entered the U.S.

The Transportation Planning and Programming (TPP) Division of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintains a point spatial dataset of bridge and border crossings that connect Texas with the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. This dataset includes bridges, dam crossings and a ferry. The majority of these facilities are open and tolled, however some are not tolled or closed and others are proposed or may be currently under construction. The dataset spans the Texas-Mexico border, from the City of El Paso, Texas southeast to the City of Brownsville, Texas which expands over 1,200 miles. This dataset is based on the Texas-Mexico Border Crossings Study - Crossings which is available to the public on TxDOT's website: https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/statewide/border-crossing/crossings.html The main source for this study is the report, "Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings: Existing and Proposed, published by TxDOT", which is also available to the public on TxDOT's website: The dataset published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics produces a similar dataset, but does not include proposed and closed border crossings and Lake Amistad Dam which may have not reopened when BTS last reported on border crossings. Border crossing naming convention is very different between the 2 datasets and the attribute tables are very different as well.Update Frequency: As NeededSource: TPP | Data ManagementSecurity Level: PublicOwned by TxDOT: FalseRelated LinksData Dictionary PDF

The North America Cross Border Road Freight Transport Market report segments the industry into End User Industry (Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry, Construction, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Mining and Quarrying, Wholesale and Retail Trade, Others) and Country (Canada, Mexico, United States, Rest of North America). Get five years of historical data alongside five-year market forecasts.

Analysis of ‘MISSING MIGRANTS (2014-2021)’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/methoomirza/missing-migrants-20142021 on 28 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

Context

Missing Migrants Project tracks deaths of migrants, including refugees and asylum-seekers, who have died or gone missing in the process of migration towards an international destination. Please note that these data represent minimum estimates, as many deaths during migration go unrecorded

What is included in Missing Migrants Project data?

Missing Migrants Project counts migrants who have died at the external borders of states, or in the process of migration towards an international destination, regardless of their legal status. The Project records only those migrants who die during their journey to a country different from their country of residence. Missing Migrants Project data include the deaths of migrants who die in transportation accidents, shipwrecks, violent attacks, or due to medical complications during their journeys. It also includes the number of corpses found at border crossings that are categorized as the bodies of migrants, on the basis of belongings and/or the characteristics of the death. For instance, a death of an unidentified person might be included if the decedent is found without any identifying documentation in an area known to be on a migration route. Deaths during migration may also be identified based on the cause of death, especially if is related to trafficking, smuggling, or means of travel such as on top of a train, in the back of a cargo truck, as a stowaway on a plane, in unseaworthy boats, or crossing a border fence. While the location and cause of death can provide strong evidence that an unidentified decedent should be included in Missing Migrants Project data, this should always be evaluated in conjunction with migration history and trends.

What is excluded?

The count excludes deaths that occur in immigration detention facilities or after deportation to a migrant’s homeland, as well as deaths more loosely connected with migrants´ irregular status, such as those resulting from labour exploitation. Migrants who die or go missing after they are established in a new home are also not included in the data, so deaths in refugee camps or housing are excluded. The deaths of internally displaced persons who die within their country of origin are also excluded. There remains a significant gap in knowledge and data on such deaths. Data and knowledge of the risks and vulnerabilities faced by migrants in destination countries, including death, should not be neglected, but rather tracked as a distinct category.

What sources of information are used in the Missing Migrants Project database?

The Missing Migrants Project currently gathers information from diverse sources such as official records – including from coast guards and medical examiners – and other sources such as media reports, NGOs, and surveys and interviews of migrants. In the Mediterranean region, data are relayed from relevant national authorities to IOM field missions, who then share it with the Missing Migrants Project team. Data are also obtained by IOM and other organizations that receive survivors at landing points in Italy and Greece. IOM and UNHCR also regularly coordinate to validate data on missing migrants in the Mediterranean. Data on the United States/Mexico border are compiled based on data from U.S. county medical examiners, coroners, and sheriff’s offices, as well as media reports for deaths occurring on the Mexican side of the border. In Africa, data are obtained from media and NGOs, including the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent. The quality of the data source(s) for each incident is assessed through the ‘Source quality’ variable, which can be viewed in the data. Across the world, the Missing Migrants Project uses social and traditional media reports to find data, which are then verified by local IOM staff whenever possible. In all cases, new entries are checked against existing records to ensure that no deaths are double-counted. In all regions, Missing Migrants Project data represent a minimum estimate of the number of migrant deaths. To learn more about data sources, visit the thematic page on migrant deaths and disappearances in the Global Migration Data Portal.

Content

What are the variables used in the Missing Migrants Project database?

This section presents the list of variables that constitute the Missing Migrants Project database. While ideally, all incidents recorded would include entries for each of these variables, the challenges described above mean that this is not always possible. The minimum information necessary to register an incident is the date of the incident, the number of dead and/or the number of missing, and the location of death. If the information is unavailable, the cell is left blank or “unknown” is recorded, as indicated in below.

1. Web ID - An automatically generated number used to identify each unique entry in the dataset.

2. Region - Region in which an incident took place. For more about regional classifications used in the dataset, click here.

3. Incident Date - Estimated date of death. In cases where the exact date of death is not known, this variable indicates the date in which the body or bodies were found. In cases where data are drawn from surviving migrants, witnesses or other interviews, this variable is entered as the date of the death as reported by the interviewee. At a minimum, the month and the year of death is recorded. In some cases, official statistics are not disaggregated by the incident, meaning that data is reported as a total number of deaths occurring during a certain time period. In such cases the entry is marked as a “cumulative total,” and the latest date of the range is recorded, with the full dates recorded in the comments.

4. Year - The year in which the incident occurred.

5. Reported month - The month in which the incident occurred.

6. Number dead - The total number of people confirmed dead in one incident, i.e. the number of bodies recovered. If migrants are missing and presumed dead, such as in cases of shipwrecks, leave blank.

7. Number missing - The total number of those who are missing and are thus assumed to be dead. This variable is generally recorded in incidents involving shipwrecks. The number of missing is calculated by subtracting the number of bodies recovered from a shipwreck and the number of survivors from the total number of migrants reported to have been on the boat. This number may be reported by surviving migrants or witnesses. If no missing persons are reported, it is left blank.

8. Total dead & missing - The sum of the ‘number dead’ and ‘number missing’ variables.

9. Number of survivors - The number of migrants that survived the incident, if known. The age, gender, and country of origin of survivors are recorded in the ‘Comments’ variable if known. If unknown, it is left blank.

10. Number of females - Indicates the number of females found dead or missing. If unknown, it is left blank. This gender identification is based on a third-party interpretation of the victim's gender from information available in official documents, autopsy reports, witness testimonies, and/or media reports.

11. Number of males - Indicates the number of males found dead or missing. If unknown, it is left blank. This gender identification is based on a third-party interpretation of the victim's gender from information available in official documents, autopsy reports, witness testimonies, and/or media reports.

12. Number of children - Indicates the number of individuals under the age of 18 found dead or missing. If unknown, it is left blank.

13. Age - The age of the decedent(s). Occasionally, an estimated age range is recorded. If unknown, it is left blank.

14. Country of origin - Country of birth of the decedent. If unknown, the entry will be marked “unknown”.

15. Region of origin - Region of origin of the decedent(s). In some incidents, region of origin may be marked as “Presumed” or “(P)” if migrants travelling through that location are known to hail from a certain region. If unknown, the entry will be marked “unknown”.

16. Cause of death - The determination of conditions resulting in the migrant's death i.e. the circumstances of the event that produced the fatal injury. If unknown, the reason why is included where possible. For example, “Unknown – skeletal remains only”, is used in cases in which only the skeleton of the decedent was found.

17. Location description - Place where the death(s) occurred or where the body or bodies were found. Nearby towns or cities or borders are included where possible. When incidents are reported in an unspecified location, this will be noted.

18. Location coordinates - Place where the death(s) occurred or where the body or bodies were found. In many regions, most notably the Mediterranean, geographic coordinates are estimated as precise locations are not often known. The location description should always be checked against the location coordinates.

19. Migration route - Name of the migrant route on which incident occurred, if known. If unknown, it is left blank.

20. UNSD geographical grouping - Geographical region in which the incident took place, as designated by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) geoscheme. For more about regional classifications used in the dataset, click here.

21. Information source - Name of source of information for each incident. Multiple sources may be listed.

22. Link - Links to original reports of migrant deaths /

This dataset shows active grain (corn, soybeans, wheat, and sorghum) rail tariff rates to the Mexico border for a number of U.S. locations, border crossings, car types, and shipment sizes for BNSF, Union Pacific, and Kansas City Southern (KCS). These rates are Rule 11 rates, where a through rate from a U.S. origin to a Mexico destination is divided into a rate from a U.S. origin to the border and a rate from the border to a Mexico destination. The U.S. railroads began reporting only Rule 11 rates to the border in January 2022 following the implementation of a VAT tax on the Mexican portion of the rail shipment. This dataset only contains rates on the U.S. to-the-border portion of the shipment.

The rates are collected from the BNSF, UP, and KCS websites. The railroads do not update the tariffs on defined interval, but do typically have at least one update a year before that commodity's harvest season. The tariff rates are joined to fuel surcharges that are updated monthly. A row in the dataset represents the active tariff rate for that shipment type (route, size, etc.) and the fuel surcharge for that railroad in a particular month. In the case where a tariff rate is changed mid-month, the row is an average of any rates that were active during that month.

Fuel surcharges are published by the railroads on a monthly, per-mile basis and are collected separately from the tariff documents (See USDA's fuel surcharge data at https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/f883-g4tq). To compute a per car fuel surcharge, the U.S. origin to the border rail route distance is approximated using the Department of Transportation's National Rail Network Lines (NARL) dataset and a shortest-path computation.

KCS is now CPKC, but KCS rates are still reported separately at https://web.kcsouthern.com/AgricultureTariff/Default.aspx.

The dataset is intended to capture most of the published tariffs for corn, soybean, and wheat shipments to Mexico. However, some routes and tariff updates may not be included.

With increasing violence, political, and economic instability in Latin America, there is a record number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border. Latin American migrants are often exposed to traumatic events before leaving their home country and during migration. While prior studies document that sex may play a role in types of traumatic exposure, few studies compare differences in traumatic exposure by sex and place of occurrence of recently arrived immigrants. Addressing this gap, we recruited 120 adults who had recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Participants completed questionnaires to characterize trauma exposures in their home country and during their migration journey. Results found that men reported higher levels of exposure to combat situations, while women were more likely to experience sexual assault. Both combat exposure and sexual traumas occurred more often in home countries than during migration. More than half of the full sample reported being threatened with a firearm. These data confirm gender differences in type of trauma and that exposures in the country of origin may provide the impetus to migrate.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Border Crossing Data provide summary statistics for inbound crossings at the U.S.-Canada and the U.S.-Mexico border at the port level. Data are available for trucks, trains, containers, buses, personal vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians. Border crossing data are collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data reflect the number of vehicles, containers, passengers or pedestrians entering the United States. CBP does not collect comparable data on outbound crossings. Users seeking data on outbound counts may therefore want to review data from individual bridge operators, border state governments, or the Mexican and Canadian governments.

The labor markets in the US and Mexico are closely linked through migrant workers and remittances and the changes in remittance flow may alter labor allocations in the origin households. In this paper, we investigate how the prevalence of the Covid-19 epidemic in the US affected the local labor market in Mexico. We construct a Mexican municipality-level measure of the exposure to Covid-19 in the US using data on Covid-19 prevalence across US states and data on migrants' destinations across the US states. We find a positive effect of Covid-19 exposure in the US on the hours worked among workers in Mexico yet no significant effects were found for the local wages. We also find that the effect varies across subgroups which indicates that the responses in hours worked depend on the household dynamics, the nature of the occupation-specific tasks, and the migration intensity. Finally, we document the potential mechanism behind the effect on the hours worked, which is through the changes in remittances sent to the origin municipalities in Mexico.

Electric Transmission Border Crossings in North AmericaThis feature layer, utilizing data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), depicts electric transmission border crossings in North America. According to the American Petroleum Institute, "North American energy markets...are integrated and interdependent with energy infrastructure crossing the borders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The trade in...electricity between the U.S., Canada and Mexico is multi-directional". Electric Transmission Border CrossingsData Currency: This cached Esri service is checked monthly for updates from its federal source (Border Crossings - Electricity).Data Modification(s): NoneFor more information, please visit: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)For feedback: ArcGIScomNationalMaps@esri.comEnergy Information AdministrationPer EIA, "The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment."

/data.zip: N-Gen Border Survey data (questions and responses) in .csv and .xls format. /consent_recruitment.zip: contains consent forms and recruitment materials in English and Spanish. The U.S.-Mexico border is a region of significant biological and cultural diversity that is of interest to scientists from a wide variety of disciplines. It is also an area of humanitarian crisis and contentious politics. U.S. and Mexican researchers who conduct fieldwork on both sides of the border are faced with ethical and logistical challenges in the course of their daily work. In our study, we find that researchers are faced with challenges ranging from difficulty in obtaining permits and accessing lands in border regions, to fear and intimidation along the militarized zones. Despite many having had direct experiences that affect their safety, most researchers feel safe working in the region and adapt their behavior by staying away from risky places. However, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, the research community is left caught in the middle when their work intersects with civil and human rights.We present survey data that examines of the effects of U.S. Border policies on scientific research, specifically those researchers conducting fieldwork on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. While anecdotal accounts exist, we present the first quantifiable data on this subject and document the interactions that field researchers have with authorities and people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and the impacts that these interactions have on their ability to conduct researchThis study was approved by an Institutional Review Board responsible for human subjects research at The University of Arizona; IRB# 1901268217. Data made available under the Creative Commons has respondents' individual comments redacted to protect participant identity, however, parties interested in collaborating on use of the full dataset may contact the authors at nextgensd@gmail.com.

For inquiries regarding the contents of this dataset, please contact the Corresponding Author listed in the README.txt file. Administrative inquiries (e.g., removal requests, trouble downloading, etc.) can be directed to data-management@arizona.edu