An overview of the US–Mexico border

The United States and Mexico share a nearly 2,000-mile land border. Along the way, the American states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas abut the Mexican states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.

How long is the US–Mexico border?

The 1,954-miles-long border between the US and Mexico includes 18 miles of maritime boundary on the Pacific Coast and 12 miles extending into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rio Grande, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, divides the nations for 1,255 miles. The remaining distance includes a stretch of land from El Paso, Texas, on the east to the southwestern tip of Arizona, where the border follows the Colorado River 24 miles north. There, it meets and follows the southern border of California to the Pacific Ocean.

Where do people live on the border?

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the US–Mexico border region, which extends 62.5 miles north and south from the border, is home to around 15 million people. More than 1 million live in 15 groups of sister cities established over decades of binational relations to coordinate emergency response plans.

The largest US cities on the border are San Diego, California; El Paso, Texas; and Laredo, Texas.

Where do people cross the border?

People can cross international borders in a controlled way at ports of entry. As of September 2023, there were 47 active land ports of entry along the US–Mexico border.

How is the border patrolled?

Border security is managed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security. CBP’s law enforcement arm, the United States Border Patrol, polices the border regions and beyond by performing transportation searches and investigations. The Border Patrol uses electronic sensors, video monitoring, and night vision scopes to identify people attempting to cross the border.

On the southern border, the Border Patrol operates out of 68 stations grouped into nine sectors.

There are over 200,000 encounters with unauthorized entrants per month. Read more about what the data can tell us about unauthorized immigration here.

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