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Pew Reports Record 14 Million Unauthorized in 2023 as U.S. Immigrant Population Declines in 2025

Pew cites stricter policies as a key driver of a rare midyear drop.

FILE - A family of five claiming to be from Guatemala and a man stating he was from Peru, in pink shirt, walk through the desert after crossing the border wall in the Tucson Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, Aug. 29, 2023, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
FILE - Migrants wait to climb over concertina wire after they crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Image
Left: Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on August 14, 2025 in New York City. Center: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One in the air on August 15, 2025, en route to Anchorage. Right: A protestor at a political rally holds a sign that reads "no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here".

Overview

  • The total immigrant population fell from 53.3 million in January to 51.9 million in June 2025, marking the first shrinkage since the 1960s, according to Pew’s preliminary analysis.
  • The unauthorized population reached 14 million in 2023, with more than 40% holding temporary protections from deportation, and Pew says the 2025 count has likely begun to decline but remains near that level.
  • Growth in 2021–23 was driven largely by people from countries other than Mexico, whose numbers rose from 6.4 million to 9.7 million as the Mexican total edged up to 4.3 million.
  • Pew links the recent shift to policy moves that slowed growth in late 2024 under President Joe Biden and to intensified enforcement, arrests and removals in 2025 under President Donald Trump.
  • The labor force lost more than 750,000 immigrant workers between January and June 2025, while Pew warns survey nonresponse may undercount immigrants and notes DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s claim of 1.6 million departures lacked department data.