Fact check: Does Minnesota have fewer illegal immigrants than other US states?

MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a sweeping immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota in December 2025 to detain and deport illegal immigrants.

Following this, a rumor circulated across social media claiming that Minnesota allegedly has fewer immigrants living in the United States illegally than other states. But is the rumor really true? Let us find out below.

Claim: Minnesota has fewer illegal immigrants than other US states

Several social media posts claimed that Minnesota has fewer immigrants living in the US illegally than other states.

The posts, which spread on Facebook, Reddit, and Threads, claimed that 130,000 people without legal immigration status lived in Minnesota, as compared to 2.1 million in Texas and 1.6 million in Florida. 

A Facebook post read, "Red State Texas has 2.1M undocumented immigrants. Red State Florida has 1.2M. Blue State Minnesota has 130,000. Don't let anyone tell you this is about immigration. It never was."

Some posts also emphasized that Texas and Florida historically vote Republican in presidential elections, as opposed to Minnesota, which leans Democratic. 

Fact Check: Tallies in social media posts came from 2023 data

The numbers mentioned in the social media post were derived from 2023 data released in 2025 by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, as several posts accurately noted.

The research center has published estimates of the 'US unauthorized immigrant population' for more than 20 years, relying on the ACS. The 2023 numbers were the most recent available data at the time of filing this story.

The data did come from a reputable source, but it did not necessarily represent population estimates in 2026. The recent numbers would not be available for a few years, as they rely on the ACS, which takes time to tabulate. 

In the report, Pew rounded the population totals, but did not round the population percentages. Pew also rounded its estimate for Texas to 2.1 million, which may explain where the social media posts got that number.

Notably, DHS publishes partial estimates on the country's 'unauthorized immigrant population' by state. The most recent report was published on April 18, 2024, showing data from 2018 to 2022. 

The report includes state-by-state population statistics for only 10 states in the US where the most people without legal immigration status reside.