Data by the Pew Research Centre revealed that the immigrant population in the US has declined by 1.5 million between January and June—signalling a direct effect of Trump's anti-immigration policies.
This is the first time in nearly half a century that the immigrant population of the United States has dropped significantly. The data further showed that more immigrants are leaving the United States, either through deportation or by choice.
According to the survey, 53.3 million immigrants lived in the US in January 2025, the highest number ever recorded. But the number dropped to 51.9 million as of June—the first drop since the 1960s.
Notably, the Pew study did not calculate how many immigrants are undocumented.
Immigration down in Trump era
The survey also found that 750,000 immigrant workers had dropped out of the US labour force since January, which is now 19% foreign-born.
The decline coincides with Trump’s ascension to the White House. The reversal is signalling that Trump’s historic mass deportation efforts are having the intended effect.
Since coming to power, the Trump administration has blocked access to asylum seekers at the southern border, tightened visa requirements for students and tech workers, and deployed thousands of federal agents to detain and deport undocumented migrants.
The crackdown has led immigrants to leave the country voluntarily and has discouraged others from making the trip to the US.
Take the case of student visas. Since January, visitors coming to the US on student visas have plunged.
The declines were most pronounced from Asia, which is the largest international education market for the United States.
Data from the International Trade Administration showed that total arrivals on student visas decreased by 28%.
The biggest drop was witnessed from Indian students at 46%, followed by China at 26%.
But Trump and his supporters are lauding the exodus of immigrants.
The president, in a social media post, declared, “Promises Made. Promises Kept.”
On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote a USA Today column heaping praise on Trump’s border policies, saying that it was necessary for Americans’ “peace and prosperity.”
Labour shortage?
But some experts have warned that a decline in immigration will have negative economic effects on the United States. They claim that such a drop could result in labour shortages, as America’s birth rate continues to drop.
Mexico remains the largest origin country among US immigrants. As of mid-2023, over 11 million US residents were born in Mexico, accounting for 22% of all immigrants nationally.
The second-largest immigrant group was from India, at 3.2 million, or 6% of the total immigrant population, as of mid-2023.
The next largest migrant group was from China at 3 million, followed by the Philippines at 2.1 million, and Cuba at 1.7 million.
The United States first saw a negative net immigration in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.
At least 400,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans left the country due to government pressure and repatriation programs.
This mass exodus created a massive shortfall of labour.
Then in 1942, the US had to implement the Bracero Programme, allowing millions of Mexican citizens to work in the country to address labour shortages during World War II.
Nevertheless, Trump’s crackdown on immigration is showing no signs of stopping.
Last week, the state department announced that it was reviewing the records of more than 55 million foreign citizens with visas for potential revocation or deportation.
