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U.S. Immigrant Population Falls for First Time Since the 1960s, Pew Says

Pew links the downturn to tighter asylum rules followed by stepped-up enforcement under President Trump's new policies.

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

  • New estimates show the foreign-born population declined from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million in June, lowering the share of U.S. residents who are immigrants from 15.8% to 15.4%.
  • Pew reports the number of undocumented residents reached a record 14 million in 2023, driven largely by arrivals with temporary protections such as asylum claims, CBP releases, or parole that made up over 40% of the total.
  • Growth slowed in late 2024 after the Biden administration curtailed asylum access and parole programs, and Pew says early 2025 brought a likely drop linked to intensified deportations and reduced protections under Trump.
  • Pew cautions that the short‑term decline is preliminary and may be affected by survey nonresponse, while other actors report differing magnitudes of departures, including a DHS announcement citing research that 1.6 million people left since January.
  • Immigrant labor trends shifted as well: the workforce lost more than 750,000 immigrant workers since January, even as 2023 saw a record 9.7 million unauthorized workers—about 5.6% of all U.S. workers—concentrated in industries like construction, agriculture, and hospitality.