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The United States\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
A new study by the Pew Research Center<\/a> reports that there were 53.3 million immigrants in the US in January, at the start of Trump\u2019s second term. By June, that number had declined to 51.9 million.<\/p>\n Immigrants accounted for 15.4% of the US population as of June 2025, down from a recent peak of 15.8% in January.<\/p>\n The survey also found that 750,000 immigrant workers had left the US labor force since January, which is now 19% foreign-born.<\/p>\n Pew highlighted several policy changes influencing immigrant populations<\/a>, including Joe Biden\u2019s 2024 restrictions on asylum applications, which significantly reduced border crossings by those seeking asylum. Trump\u2019s 181 executive actions on immigration\u2014including new arrivals and mass deportations\u2014also played a major role.<\/p>\n The center noted that some of the shift may reflect a declining survey response rate among immigrants.<\/p>\n Mexico continues to be the largest country of origin for US immigrants, with over 11 million residents born there as of mid-2023\u2014roughly 22% of all immigrants. However, immigration from Mexico has been declining since 2007, and its share of the US immigrant population<\/a> dropped from 29% in 2010 to 22% in 2023, according to Pew.<\/p>\n 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%).<\/p>\n In July, a Guardian analysis of arrest and deportation data found that Trump\u2019s policies have dramatically expanded the country\u2019s immigration enforcement efforts, pushing officials to make record arrests.<\/p>\n