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Research on the Unauthorized Minors Arriving at US Border Crossings
Between Oct. 2010 and Sep. 2015, the US Border Patrol apprehended 206,669 unaccompanied immigrant children crossing into the United States, with over 56% of the children crossing via the Rio Grande Valley station in Edinburg, Texas. Over 92% of the children were from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. About 72% of the children were male, and approximately 72% were 15 to 17 years old.

Unaccompanied immigrant children, also referred to as unaccompanied alien children by some government agencies, are children up to 17 years old who have attempted to cross into the United States illegally without an adult. Primarily from Central America and arriving though the US/Mexico border, children who are apprehended by US Border Patrol are transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is an office of the Department of Health and Human Services. ORR releases the children to sponsors, preferably a parent, legal guardian, or another adult family member in the United States, and arranges legal representation while the children await immigration proceedings.
The data below, from the ORR and the US Border Patrol, are calculated by fiscal years, which run from October to September.
- Unaccompanied Immigrant Children by Age
- Unaccompanied Immigrant Children by Gender
- Unaccompanied Immigrant Children by Country of Origin
- Apprehension of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children by Border and Border Patrol Station
- US State to which Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Were Released to Sponsors

Age | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0-12 | 11% | 11% | 14% | 21% | 17% |
13-14 | 10% | 11% | 13% | 16% | 14% |
15-16 | 38% | 39% | 40% | 36% | 38% |
17 | 40% | 38% | 34% | 27% | 30% |

Gender | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Female | 23% | 27% | 34% | 32% |
Male | 77% | 73% | 66% | 68% |

Country of Origin | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|
El Salvador | 27% | 26% | 29% | 29% |
Guatemala | 34% | 37% | 32% | 45% |
Honduras | 27% | 30% | 34% | 17% |
Mexico | 8% | 3% | <2% | 6% |
All Other Countries | 4% | 5% | <3% | 3% |

Border & Border Patrol Station | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coastal Border Total | 89 | 42 | 28 | 44 | 65 | 51 | 319 |
Miami, FL | 57 | 27 | 18 | 28 | 28 | 20 | 178 |
New Orleans, LA | 28 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 26 | 105 |
Ramey in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 36 |
Northern Border Total | 122 | 76 | 50 | 30 | 25 | 14 | 317 |
Blaine, WA | 14 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 47 |
Buffalo, NY | 46 | 25 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 103 |
Detroit, MI | 33 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 75 |
Grand Forks, ND | 14 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 34 |
Havre, MT | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Houlton, ME | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Spokane, WA | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
Swanton, VT | 10 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 37 |
Southwest Border Total | 18,411 | 15,949 | 24,403 | 38,759 | 68,541 | 39,970 | 206,033 |
Big Bend National Park, TX | 197 | 189 | 168 | 125 | 256 | 839 | 1,744 |
Del Rio, TX | 1,014 | 1,113 | 1,618 | 2,135 | 3,268 | 2,285 | 11,433 |
El Centro in Imperial, CA | 448 | 457 | 498 | 434 | 662 | 668 | 3,167 |
El Paso, TX | 1,011 | 697 | 659 | 744 | 1,029 | 1,662 | 5,802 |
Laredo, TX | 1,570 | 1,608 | 2,658 | 3,795 | 3,800 | 2,459 | 15,890 |
Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, TX | 4,977 | 5,236 | 10,759 | 21,553 | 49,959 | 23,864 | 116,348 |
San Diego in Chula Vista, CA | 980 | 549 | 524 | 656 | 954 | 1,084 | 4,747 |
Tucson, AZ | 7,998 | 5,878 | 7,239 | 9,070 | 8,262 | 6,019 | 44,466 |
Yuma, AZ | 216 | 222 | 280 | 247 | 351 | 1,090 | 2,406 |
Total | 18,622 | 16,067 | 24,481 | 38,833 | 68,631 | 40,035 | 206,669 |

Total Number of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Released | ||
---|---|---|
State | 2014 | 2015 |
Total | 53,515 | 27,520 |
Alabama | 786 | 813 |
Alaska | 4 | 2 |
Arizona | 295 | 169 |
Arkansas | 307 | 184 |
California | 5,831 | 3,576 |
Colorado | 426 | 242 |
Connecticut | 552 | 207 |
Delaware | 212 | 145 |
DC | 375 | 198 |
Florida | 5,445 | 2,885 |
Georgia | 2,047 | 1,028 |
Hawaii | 8 | 2 |
Idaho | 19 | 11 |
Illinois | 552 | 301 |
Indiana | 448 | 233 |
Iowa | 235 | 200 |
Kansas | 312 | 247 |
Kentucky | 413 | 270 |
Louisiana | 1,755 | 465 |
Maine | 17 | 4 |
Maryland | 3,884 | 1,784 |
Massachusetts | 1,372 | 723 |
Michigan | 193 | 130 |
Minnesota | 304 | 244 |
Mississippi | 290 | 204 |
Missouri | 222 | 169 |
Montana | 1 | 2 |
Nebraska | 351 | 286 |
Nevada | 228 | 139 |
New Hampshire | 35 | 14 |
New Jersey | 2,680 | 1,440 |
New Mexico | 41 | 18 |
New York | 5,955 | 2,615 |
North Carolina | 2,064 | 833 |
North Dakota | 4 | 2 |
Ohio | 635 | 476 |
Oklahoma | 377 | 225 |
Oregon | 115 | 120 |
Pennsylvania | 660 | 333 |
Rhode Island | 203 | 180 |
South Carolina | 588 | 292 |
South Dakota | 48 | 62 |
Tennessee | 1,294 | 757 |
Texas | 7,709 | 3,209 |
Utah | 119 | 62 |
Vermont | 3 | 1 |
Virginia | 3,887 | 1,676 |
Washington | 391 | 285 |
West Virginia | 30 | 12 |
Wisconsin | 85 | 39 |
Wyoming | 8 | 6 |
Sources:
US Border Patrol, “US Border Patrol Total Monthly UAC Apprehensions by Sector (FY 2010-FY 2015),” www.cbp.gov (accessed Jan. 29, 2016)
US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, “Unaccompanied Children’s Services,” www.acf.hhs.gov (accessed Jan. 29, 2016)