The number of U.S. residents born outside the country has dropped by well over 2 million since President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term in the White House.
Of that number, an estimated 72%, or 1.6 million, who have left the country, were here illegally.
The Center for Immigration Studies reported the "unprecedented" decline in foreign-born residents after reviewing the Current Population Survey report from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The CIS said its review finds the foreign-born population declines are "likely due to increased out-migration in response to stepped-up [immigration] enforcement." The CIS added, however, that its analysis "comes with caveats."
The CIS noted recent claims that some data from the BLS may not be accurate. But the CIS said that cross-referencing the population data helps to draw reasonably accurate numbers.
Still, it said some people in the U.S. illegally may have failed to respond to the survey due to the government's ramped-up immigration enforcement. But when balanced against "the 10 percent decrease in the number of non-citizens from Latin America who indicated they arrived in the U.S. in 1980 or later," the numbers then correlate.
The CIS said, "It is well-established that this population overlaps significantly with illegal immigrants."
In addition to the overall population decline, the CIS said the survey "shows significant job growth among the U.S.-born."
The CIS attributed a good portion of that growth to foreign-born residents leaving the U.S. and their jobs in the last six months.
The CIS said the population decline marks a huge reversal in what have been regular population increases, leading it to conclude that "something has fundamentally changed."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.