One map that shows the US' "border" is everywhere

Even by its official definition, the US "border" stretches 100 miles into the interior of the country — encompassing as much as two thirds of the entire US population. But obviously, even going 100 miles inland doesn't cover every point where people can enter the US. After all, international airports exist all over the country.

In all, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts report, there are 314 "ports of entry" in the US — places where US Customs and Border Protection officials can formally inspect documents and approve people to enter the country.

(Pew Charitable Trusts)

Security at ports of entry requires a totally different process from "border security." For one thing, while agents don't want to let anyone through at a port of entry without papers, they don't want to force people who do have papers to wait in a two-hours-long line either. But when politicians talk about "securing the border," they're almost always talking about the US/Mexico border — and they might be using a zero-tolerance definition of "security" that has no relationship to reality.

WATCH: '220 years of US population changes in one map'

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via