Immigrant Population in U.S. Drops by a Staggering 1.4 Million.

The total number of immigrants in the U.S. has declined for the first time in decades, according to new analysis. The foreign-born population fell from 53.3 million in January to 51.9 million in June, a drop of 1.4 million people that coincides with Donald Trump’s major deportation push and ICE raids. The workforce shrinkage comes from a combination of forced removals and people leaving in fear, according to analysis. Immigrants made up 19% of the U.S. workforce in June, a drop of 01% point compared to the same time last year. The study raises questions about the harm the outflux could have on the economy. January’s 53.3 million was a record high for foreign-born workers. The analysis was conducted using data from the Census Current Population Survey.

During the post COVID-19 pandemic, certain changes in the U.S. immigration policy had fueled a sharp rise in both legal and illegal immigration. Lawful admissions jumped, as did encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border between migrants and U.S. authorities.

The label “unauthorised immigrants” captures a complex array of statuses, including immigrants who entered the U.S. legally. While the label is not perfect, it groups together immigrants living in the country with impermanent, precarious statuses. The term has been used for decades by researchers who develop estimates of the population and is generally used in this report.

The increase from 2021 to 2023 was driven primarily by growth in the number of unauthorised immigrants who were living in the U.S. with some protections from deportation, such as immigrants paroled into the country and asylum seekers. About 6 million immigrants without full legal status had some protection from deportation in 2023, up from 2.7 million in 2021. In 2007, when the total unauthorised immigrant population was at its previous high (12.2 million), about 500,000 had some protection from deportation.

The total number with temporary protections from deportations increased after 2021 following policy changes made by the Biden administration that allowed many immigrants to arrive in the U.S. with protected status and others to gain protection shortly after arriving.

Changes to the unauthorised immigrant population, 2024-25 –

Through early 2024, the overall unauthorised immigrant population continued to grow at a record pace, according to a Center review of preliminary and incomplete data sources. After mid-2024, policy decisions spanning the Biden and Trump administrations again changed this population. Growth slowed considerably in the last half of 2024 after the Biden administration stopped accepting asylum applications at the border and paused parole programs.

In 2025, the unauthorised immigrant population has probably started to decline, due in part to increased deportations and reduced protections under the Trump administration. As of mid-2025, the unauthorised immigrant population likely remains above 2023 levels.

The Donald Trump administration in 2025 has:

• Removed deportation protections and rescinded work permits for about 500,000 parolees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

• Allowed protections to expire for about 350,000 Venezuelans and 350,000 Haitians with TPS.

• Stopped accepting asylum applications from immigrants who enter the country at the U.S.-Mexico border, a move that has been challenged in court.

• Largely stopped releasing immigrants into the U.S. who are encountered at the border.

The vast majority of unauthorised immigrants which is more than 12 million in 2023 had either entered the U.S. illegally or overstayed a visa. Another 02 million entered the U.S. legally and were paroled or released into the country. Protection from deportation provided by programs such as DACA, TPS or asylum are only available to immigrants already in the U.S.

Team Maverick