The number of immigrants living in the United States has fallen by more than one million since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ending over half a century of steady growth.
A study by the Pew Research Centre found that the immigrant population stood at a record 53.3 million at the start of the year, but had dropped to 51.9 million by June. Immigrants now account for 15.4% of the population, down from 15.8% in January.
The decline has been accompanied by a sharp fall in immigrant participation in the workforce. Pew reported that 750,000 immigrant workers had left the labour force since January, leaving foreign-born workers at 19% of the total.
Researchers attributed the change to a series of policy shifts. They noted that restrictions on asylum applications introduced by Joe Biden in 2024 had already reduced border crossings, while Trump had issued 181 executive orders on immigration since returning to office, including mass deportations of non-citizens and measures curbing new arrivals.
Pew also cautioned that some of the reported decline may be linked to a lower response rate from immigrants in surveys.
US largest source of immigrants
Mexico remains the largest source of immigrants in the US, with more than 11 million residents born there, making up 22% of the immigrant population. However, immigration from Mexico has been steadily declining since 2007. Between 2010 and 2023, the proportion of Mexican-born immigrants dropped from 29% to 22%.
India is the second-largest source country, with 3.2 million immigrants, followed by China with 3 million, the Philippines with 2.1 million, and Cuba with 1.7 million.
The drop in numbers comes as Trump intensifies his crackdown on immigration. A Guardian analysis of arrest and deportation records in July showed that the administration had expanded immigration enforcement to unprecedented levels. Average daily arrests were up 268% compared with June 2024, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) targeting all undocumented immigrants, including those without criminal records.
The analysis also revealed that more than 8,100 people had been deported to countries other than their own.
Trump’s administration has not indicated that its approach will soften. The state department announced this week that it was reviewing the records of more than 55 million foreign nationals with visas, which could lead to mass revocations.
