The United States’ immigrant population, which had been steadily increasing for more than five decades, has fallen by over a million since President Donald Trump took office in January, framing immigration as a threat rather than a national strength.
A new study by the Pew Research Center reports that there were 53.3 million immigrants in the US in January, at the start of Trump’s second term. By June, that number had declined to 51.9 million.
Immigrants accounted for 15.4% of the US population as of June 2025, down from a recent peak of 15.8% in January.
The survey also found that 750,000 immigrant workers had left the US labor force since January, which is now 19% foreign-born.
Pew highlighted several policy changes influencing immigrant populations, including Joe Biden’s 2024 restrictions on asylum applications, which significantly reduced border crossings by those seeking asylum. Trump’s 181 executive actions on immigration—including new arrivals and mass deportations—also played a major role.
The center noted that some of the shift may reflect a declining survey response rate among immigrants.
Mexico continues to be the largest country of origin for US immigrants, with over 11 million residents born there as of mid-2023—roughly 22% of all immigrants. However, immigration from Mexico has been declining since 2007, and its share of the US immigrant population dropped from 29% in 2010 to 22% in 2023, according to Pew.
The second-largest group of immigrants comes from India, numbering 3.2 million (6%). Other major groups include China (3 million, 6%), the Philippines (2.1 million, 4%), and Cuba (1.7 million, 3%).
In July, a Guardian analysis of arrest and deportation data found that Trump’s policies have dramatically expanded the country’s immigration enforcement efforts, pushing officials to make record arrests.
Average daily arrests were up 268% compared with June 2024, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting all unauthorized immigrants, even those without criminal records. The analysis also found that more than 8,100 people were deported to countries that were not their home nations.
Trump’s immigration crackdown continues, with the State Department announcing this week a review of records for over 55 million foreign citizens holding temporary US visas for potential revocation.