JUST IN: New Research Reveals Immigrant Inhabitants Dropping For First Time in Many years
In a striking shift long anticipated by immigration hawks, the U.S. immigrant population has shrunk for the first time in more than half a century — and it’s not by a rounding error.
A new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data shows the number of foreign-born residents in the United States peaked in January 2025 at a record 53.3 million. By June, that figure had fallen to 51.9 million, meaning the share of all residents who are immigrants dropped from 15.8% to 15.4%.
The labor market reflects the retreat: immigrants now make up 19% of the U.S. workforce, down from 20%, with more than 750,000 fewer immigrant workers since January.
Policy changes appear to be doing the heavy lifting. In June 2024, the Biden administration introduced strict limits on asylum claims, triggering a sharp decline in border encounters with migrants. Meanwhile, in his first 100 days back in the White House in early 2025, Donald Trump ordered 181 executive actions aimed at halting new arrivals and deporting illegal immigrants.
“There are a number of possible reasons from the natural ebb and flow of immigrants, but also policy, which has made it harder to cross the border and also increased enforcement in the U.S., all of which could be shaping the immigrant population and whether or not it grows or declines,” said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research at Pew.
It all adds up to a turning point in America’s demographic story. After decades of near-relentless growth in foreign-born residents, the tables have turned. While the U.S. still hosts more immigrants than any other country, it now faces the challenge of fewer newcomers and more departures.
Critics of lax immigration policy will cheer the numbers, while supporters of open borders worry about the economic and cultural consequences of fewer arrivals. Either way, the topline is clear: for the first time since the 1960s, more immigrants are leaving or being forced out than coming in.
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