TRENTON, N.J. – The Biden-era border surge didn’t just reach New Jersey’s biggest cities, Save Jerseyans. It touched nearly every corner of the Garden State.
A stunning 523 of New Jersey’s 564 municipalities were listed as destinations by migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between 2018 and 2025, according to a new NJ.com analysis of federal data obtained by the Associated Press.
All told, more than 200,000 migrants crossing the southern border during that period told federal authorities they were headed for New Jersey. Only Florida, Texas, California and New York recorded larger numbers.
The records cover approximately 4.5 million migrants who crossed the southern border and remained in the United States between October 2018 and July 2025. The migrants included people who crossed both legally and illegally and were released after federal authorities recorded their information.
The geographic reach was extraordinary.
Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Plainfield, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Irvington, Union City and West New York were among the most frequently listed destinations. Ecuadorians constituted the largest national group headed for New Jersey, totaling more than 36,000.
Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean), an outspoken critic of New Jersey’s sanctuary policies, told NJ.com that the numbers didn’t surprise him, arguing that sanctuary protections and taxpayer-supported services have helped make the state an attractive destination.
Meanwhile, Gov. Mikie Sherrill and legislative leaders added another $12 million to the state’s Detention Deportation Defense Initiative in June, bringing total funding to $20.2 million.
The new numbers add hard data to a debate Trenton has spent years trying to frame as primarily a federal problem. Whatever ultimately became of every migrant represented in the records, 523 out of 564 municipalities makes one thing difficult to dispute: the consequences of the historic border surge weren’t confined to Texas or Arizona.
They reached virtually every community in New Jersey.
