For the first time in sixty years, the number of immigrants living in the United States has declined significantly, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.
In January 2023, the U.S. hosted a record high of 53.3 million immigrants. However, by June, that figure had fallen to 51.8 million, indicating that over one million immigrants may have left the country within that six-month span.
Mark Hugo Lopez, who directs race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center, stated, ‘The last time there was such a drop was in the 1960s, and before that, during the Great Depression.’
The study attributes this decline to stricter immigration policies enforced over the past year.
These include new asylum restrictions implemented at the southern border during President Joe Biden’s administration in mid-2024, as well as the zero-tolerance policies of President Donald Trump. During his first 100 days in office, Trump issued 181 executive orders aimed at reducing the arrival of new immigrants and expediting the deportation of noncitizens, some of whom would traditionally have been allowed to stay.
‘While the full effects of these policies remain unclear, they are already contributing to this decline, particularly within the unauthorized immigrant population,’ the study mentions.
Another notable finding from the study is that immigrants’ presence in the U.S. labor force is shrinking.
At the beginning of 2023, immigrants comprised 20% of the workforce nationwide, but by June, that percentage had decreased to 19%, which equates to a loss of more than 750,000 immigrant workers.
Despite the recent decline in the immigrant population — a change that could be influenced by a waning survey response rate among immigrants — the research confirms that the U.S. is home to more immigrants than any other nation worldwide.
The report reveals that approximately half of all immigrants in the U.S., totaling 26.7 million people, were born in Latin America.
Mexican immigrants continue to represent the largest group, with over 11 million residing in the United States. Other significant sources of immigrants include India, China, the Philippines, and Cuba.
Geographically, most immigrants are concentrated in a few states, with California housing the largest share, followed by Texas, Florida, and New York. Major urban centers like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami remain the primary hubs for immigrant communities.
According to Pew’s analysis based on government data, over 11 million immigrants are estimated to have arrived in the U.S. between 2020 and 2025, with more than 3 million arrivals recorded in 2023 alone, marking the largest annual total ever.
Between 2021 and 2023, unauthorized immigrants constituted the majority of new arrivals, many of whom came from Central and South America.
The analysis further discloses that as of 2023, 46% of immigrants were naturalized U.S. citizens. Nearly a quarter were lawful permanent residents, with an additional 4% holding temporary permits or visas for work or study.
The remaining 14 million immigrants fell into the unauthorized category, making up 27% of the total immigrant population. This group includes asylum seekers, individuals with temporary protection status, and those brought to the U.S. as children without legal status.
Among these, more than 600,000 individuals are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an initiative established by President Barack Obama in 2012.
– Juan Carlos Chavez / Tampa Bay Times
image source from：bostonherald
