Where Refugees in Texas Are Arriving From

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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 April 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 Texas in April 2024.

April refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in April
To Texas:
#1. Congo: 164
#2. Afghanistan: 103
#3. Myanmar: 76
#4. Venezuela: 60
#5. Eritrea: 32
#6. Guatemala: 30
#7. Republic of South Sudan: 20
#8. El Salvador: 19
#9. Central African Republic: 17
#10. Iraq: 16
#11. Rwanda: 13
#12. Ethiopia: 12
#12. Sudan: 12
#14. Somalia: 10
#15. Honduras: 9
#16. Pakistan: 8
#17. Syria: 6
#17. Burundi: 6
#19. Nicaragua: 4
#20. Republic of Congo: 1
#20. The Gambia: 1
#20. Vietnam: 1

To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Congo: 1,548
#2. Afghanistan: 815
#3. Myanmar: 601
#4. Somalia: 548
#5. Venezuela: 449

States that accepted the most refugees in April:
#1. Texas: 620
#2. California: 414
#3. New York: 360
#4. Pennsylvania: 355
#5. lowa: 339

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

Woman carries basket through street in Bukavu

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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#1. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Texas: 1,213

To the U.S. as a whole: 13,322
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Texas: 1,213
#2. Kentucky: 1,106
#3. Arizona: 933
#4. New York: 829
#5. Ohio: 826

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market

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#2. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Texas: 803

To the U.S. as a whole: 7,771
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 1,624
#2. Texas: 803
#3. Virginia: 775
#4. Washington: 519
#5. Maryland: 329

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#3. Myanmar

Refugees that arrived from Myanmar since October 2023
To Texas: 497

To the U.S. as a whole: 4,265
Top states receiving refugees from Myanmar
#1. Texas: 497
#2. Illinois: 490
#3. New York: 396
#4. Georgia: 295
#5. Wisconsin: 258

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#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Texas: 489

To the U.S. as a whole: 3,516
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 668
#2. Texas: 489
#3. Illinois: 210
#4. Georgia: 185
#5. New Jersey: 131

People buying spices at a street market in Damascus

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hanohiki // Shutterstock

#5. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Texas: 440

To the U.S. as a whole: 7,781
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. New York: 749
#2. Michigan: 742
#3. Pennsylvania: 551
#4. Texas: 440
#5. California: 429

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Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#6. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Texas: 240

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,474
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 328
#2. Texas: 240
#3. North Carolina: 167
#4. Florida: 161
#5. New York: 113

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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#7. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Texas: 139

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,259
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 139
#2. Washington: 120
#3. lowa: 75
#4. North Carolina: 74
#5. Ohio: 73

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#8. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Texas: 119

To the U.S. as a whole: 866
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. Texas: 119
#2. California: 99
#3. Maryland: 83
#4. Virginia: 69
#5. North Carolina: 63

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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#9. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Texas: 104

To the U.S. as a whole: 595
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 104
#2. Florida: 81
#3. Georgia: 40
#4. California: 39
#5. New York: 32

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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#10. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Texas: 92

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,225
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. New York: 98
#2. Texas: 92
#3. Pennsylvania: 89
#4. Missouri: 73
#5. Ohio: 71

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#11. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Texas: 86

To the U.S. as a whole: 799
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. Texas: 86
#2. Nebraska: 70
#3. Colorado: 57
#4. Arizona: 54
#5. Connecticut: 53

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#12. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Texas: 72

To the U.S. as a whole: 665
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Missouri: 75
#2. Texas: 72
#3. Michigan: 55
#4. Georgia: 43
#5. Pennsylvania: 38

People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua

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Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#13. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Texas: 69

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,078
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 171
#2. California: 92
#3. Texas: 69
#4. Minnesota: 57
#5. North Carolina: 46

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Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#14. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Texas: 66

To the U.S. as a whole: 921
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 162
#2. Michigan: 116
#3. Texas: 66
#4. Washington: 56
#5. Nebraska: 54

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

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W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#15. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Texas: 61

To the U.S. as a whole: 605
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 98
#2. Texas: 61
#3. Virginia: 57
#4. North Carolina: 46
#5. New York: 37

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia

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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#16. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Texas: 58

To the U.S. as a whole: 760
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 98
#2. North Carolina: 70
#3. Texas: 58
#4. New York: 56
#5. Washington: 46

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: 54

To the U.S. as a whole: 425
Top states receiving refugees from Burundi
#1. Texas: 54
#2. Arizona: 48
#3. New York: 41
#4. Pennsylvania: 37
#5. Maryland: 23

People selling bananas at a street market in Huye

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Oscar Espinosa // Shutterstock

#18. Rwanda

Refugees that arrived from Rwanda since October 2023
To Texas: 46

To the U.S. as a whole: 197
Top states receiving refugees from Rwanda
#1. Texas: 46
#2. South Carolina: 12
#2. Arizona: 12
#4. Kentucky: 11
#4. Illinois: 11

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa

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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#19. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Texas: 43

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,148
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 670
#2. Ohio: 157
#3. Arizona: 113
#4. New York: 110
#5. Missouri: 102

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Artush // Shutterstock

#20. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Texas: 23

To the U.S. as a whole: 289
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 76
#2. Washington: 28
#3. Georgia: 25
#3. Ohio: 25
#5. Texas: 23

People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran

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Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#21. Iran

Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2023
To Texas: 19

To the U.S. as a whole: 278
Top states receiving refugees from Iran
#1. California: 165
#2. Texas: 19
#3. Washington: 11
#4. North Carolina: 10
#5. Virginia: 9

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aleksander hunta // Shutterstock

#22. Cambodia

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 36
Top states receiving refugees from Cambodia
#1. Texas: 14
#2. North Carolina: 6
#3. California: 5
#4. Maine: 3
#5. Minnesota: 2

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.

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#23. Cameroon

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

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

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.

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#24. Cuba

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 89
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Florida: 39
#2. Texas: 10
#3. Tennessee: 7
#4. Washington: 6
#5. New Hampshire: 4

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#25. Libya

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 13
Top states receiving refugees from Libya
#1. Texas: 9
#2. Pennsylvania: 4

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#26. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Texas: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 130
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 25
#2. Florida: 19
#3. Georgia: 14
#4. Colorado: 9
#5. California: 8

Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff

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Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock

#26. Senegal

Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2023
To Texas: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 63
Top states receiving refugees from Senegal
#1. Massachusetts: 15
#2. Texas: 8
#3. Georgia: 7
#4. South Carolina: 5
#5. Ohio: 4

Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.

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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#26. Republic of Congo

Refugees that arrived from Republic of Congo since October 2023
To Texas: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 311
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of Congo
#1. Missouri: 29
#1. Pennsylvania: 29
#3. South Carolina: 24
#3. Illinois: 24
#5. Massachusetts: 21

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#29. Nigeria

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 103
Top states receiving refugees from Nigeria
#1. Illinois: 16
#2. Missouri: 14
#3. Arizona: 13
#3. North Carolina: 13
#5. Kansas: 9

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alionabirukova // Shutterstock

#30. Sri Lanka

Refugees that arrived from Sri Lanka since October 2023
To Texas: 5

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

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#31. The Gambia

Refugees that arrived from The Gambia since October 2023
To Texas: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 14
Top states receiving refugees from The Gambia
#1. Texas: 4
#2. Michigan: 3
#3. Georgia: 2
#3. Illinois: 2
#5. Arizona: 1

Pedestrians and traffic on the streets of Almaty

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Omri Eliyahu // Shutterstock

#32. Kazakhstan

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 109
Top states receiving refugees from Kazakhstan
#1. Washington: 41
#2. California: 19
#2. Pennsylvania: 19
#4. Oregon: 10
#5. Massachusetts: 8

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Beata Tabak // Shutterstock

#32. 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

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

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#32. Yemen

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 103
Top states receiving refugees from Yemen
#1. Michigan: 16
#2. New York: 13
#2. Georgia: 13
#4. Montana: 12
#5. Arizona: 8

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#35. Mali

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 164
Top states receiving refugees from Mali
#1. Pennsylvania: 25
#2. New York: 24
#3. South Carolina: 23
#4. Connecticut: 13
#4. Michigan: 13

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#35. Guinea

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 79
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 9
#3. 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

#35. Uganda

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 40
Top states receiving refugees from Uganda
#1. Massachusetts: 6
#1. Missouri: 6
#3. 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

#35. Ukraine

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,033
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 377
#2. California: 166
#3. New York: 57
#4. Florida: 51
#5. Ohio: 48

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#35. Vietnam

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 88
Top states receiving refugees from Vietnam
#1. Minnesota: 49
#2. North Carolina: 25
#3. Arkansas: 5
#4. Illinois: 3
#5. Oregon: 2

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YuryKara // Shutterstock

#40. Russia

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 285
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. Washington: 77
#2. California: 57
#3. Oregon: 24
#4. North Carolina: 22
#5. Minnesota: 20