California
*Data source: Refugee Processing Center: Arrivals and Admissions, 2016-2020 figures exclude Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) from Afghanistan and Iraq.
^2021: 986 Refugee, 1,654 SIV. Figures do not include 2021 Afghan Humanitarian Parolee arrivals.
**Immigrants comprise 27% total population in California.
SOUTHERN BORDER FACTS: Some 20 million people call the southern border region home, and this population is growing. From San Diego, in California to Brownsville in Texas, the communities that make up the border region are diverse and thriving. Estimates from the Census Bureau show that overall, border residents are more likely to be people of color when compared to the national average (Half of all border residents are Hispanic or Latinx).
*Data source: Refugee Processing Center: Admissions and Arrivals
- Farsi
- Arabic
- Ukrainian
- French
- Spanish
*Data source: American Immigration Council: Immigrants in California
*Data source: New American Economy
**For Refugee-specific data please see New American Economy: Refugees in California
*Top % share of the immigrant labor force in California. Data source: American Immigration Council: Immigrants in California.
*Data source: Office of Refugee Resettlement
*Data not available.
- 31.9%Less than High School
- 38.5%High School & Some College
- 17.9%Bachelor's Degree
- 11.7%Graduate Degree
*Data source: American Immigration Council: Immigrants in California
*Data source: American Immigration Council: Immigrants in California
July 24, 2023
I want to help newcomers because I see myself in them. A young Afghan woman I mentor, we’ll call her Sarah, reminds me of myself 6 years ago. She is the same age I was when I came to the U.S. She is by herself. Sometimes I get emotional thinking about Sarah managing to start a new life all by herself. Cooking for herself, taking care of herself, and doing it without family or community.


