Migrants, mostly from Central America and Venezuela, rest on their way to the United States in Huixtla, Mexico, on July 24. (Isaac Guzman – AFP / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin August 13, 2025 at 9:25am
There was a massive and unprecedented decline in the foreign-born population in the United States between January and July of this year, with some 2.2 million fewer immigrants present in the country.
According to a Tuesday analysis of Current Population Survey data from the Center for Immigration Studies, the total “foreign-born population of all ages, both in and out of the labor force” decreased by an “unprecedented” 2.2 million during the first seven months of the year.
The falloff in the “total foreign-born” population was entirely comprised of non-citizens, as the number of naturalized U.S. citizens has “actually increased some since January,” per the analysis.
The foreign-born population includes both legal and illegal immigrants.
Beyond the decline of 2.2 million foreign-born people, the Center for Immigration Studies found declines in “the number of non-citizens from Latin America who arrived in the United States in 1980 or later.”
“The post-1980 Latin American non-citizen population in particular overlaps significantly with the illegal immigrant population and helps to confirm our finding of a large decline in the illegal immigrant population,” the think tank said.
America has seen “an unprecedented 2.2 million decline in the total foreign-born or immigrant population (legal and illegal) between January and July of this year.”
The largest six-month decline within a single year in U.S. history.
We’re taking back our country. pic.twitter.com/5qdFqCJhld
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) August 12, 2025
With respect to the number of illegal immigrants in the country, the Center for Immigration Studies projected that some 1.6 million have left since January, meaning there are roughly 14.2 million still present.
Is Trump delivering on one of his biggest campaign promises?
“This reverses the dramatic increase in the illegal immigrant population we have reported from January 2021 to January 2025,” the analysis continued.
The decline is most likely to economically benefit legal immigrants and American workers with less education, who are often forced to compete with illegal immigrants for jobs.
The wages of legal workers may even increase amid the changes, which point toward a lower supply of illegal immigrant workers who undercut pay rates in the labor market.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, young American men could especially benefit from the trend.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS: The foreign-born population has SHRUNK by 2.2 million in the first six months of Trump being in office
Huge 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nSCAIYu2Jh
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 12, 2025
“A tighter labor market and higher wages may help to draw back into jobs the near-record number of working-age American men without a college degree not in the labor force,” the analysis said.
“Policymakers will need to consider these positive effects of reducing illegal immigration as they respond to pressure from employers to reverse the decline,” the group recommended.
The decline in the foreign-born population comes as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration, shuttering the border and conducting deportations of illegal aliens.
Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations; guiding the editorial direction of The Western Journal; and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Entertainment News, Christian-Conservatism
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