US President Donald Trump has led a massive crackdown against illegal immigration since taking over in January — with officials arresting or detaining more than a 100,000 people. The stringent curbs have now prompted a decline in the immigration population for the first time in over 50 years. Data from the Pew Research Centrer suggests that US immigrant population has fallen by over a million people since Trump took over as President.
What does the data say?
According to a new study, the year had begun with a record 53.3 million immigrants living in the United States. This number has declined sharply in the ensuing months as more immigrants left the country or faced deportation than arrived. The foreign-born population had shrunk by more than a million people by June — marking its first decline since the 1960s. The
Census Bureau data analysed by researchers revealed that 51.9 million immigrants live in the US as of June 2025. The Pew Research Center also found that 15.4% of all U.S. residents were immigrants — down from a recent historic high of 15.8%. It also revealed that 19% of the U.S. labor force were immigrants, down from 20% and by over 750,000 workers since January.
Policy decisions and Presidents
The study has cited several policy changes over the past year to explain the fluctuations. Former US President Joe Biden had sparked a significant decrease in border crossings involving immigrants seeking asylum after restricting such applications in 2024. His successor (Donald Trump) has also made extensive efforts to curtail both legal legal and illegal immigration with nearly 200 executive orders signed over the past eight months. This included mass deportation of non-citizen immigrants and restrictions on the arrival of new immigrants.
The crackdown appears likely to continue — with the Trump administration announcing fresh policy changes this week. Authorities said on Friday that they would be reviewing the records of more than 55 million US visa holders to assess if they had broken any conditions for entry or stay in the country. Officials suggest that people under an US visa will face “continuous vetting” with the document being revoked if there were any aberrations.
Meanwhile the USCIS has announced that its officers will now outright deny an application without issuing requests for more evidence or intent-to-deny notices in case of an incomplete or flawed family-based green card petitions. Applicants can also face risk of immediate removal proceedings if their submissions are not in perfect order. Efforts are also being made to restore restrictions and enforcement priorities from the first Trump presidency — including expanded legal grounds for mandatory detention and fewer opportunities to contest deportation.
Changing policies are also likely to affect tourists with the Trump administration making it mandatory for travellers from some countries to pay a $5,000–$15,000 bond and an entry fee to obtain a tourist visa.