Net Migration to the US Hits Milestone Number Not Seen in Over 50 Years – RedState
When Joe Biden let millions of illegal aliens into our southern border with his “let them all in” immigration policy, net migration increased at a historic rate of 2.3 million per year during his first three years in office. The New York Times reported that it was the “largest surge” in U.S. history.
While virtually everyone in this country has an immigrant in their ancestral history and immigrants are the backbone of the nation, unfettered and uncontrolled mass immigration – often illegal – is not the way to operate in the modern era. This is causing economic chaos and security concerns while we have no idea who is coming to our country.
Donald Trump, of course, took a completely different path than his predecessor: he closed borders, imposed stricter visa requirements, and cracked down on refugee programs. The result? Something we haven’t seen in half a century:
Net migration to the United States declined by between 10,000 and 295,000 in 2025, according to updated estimates first released this summer by economists Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson of the center-left Brookings and Stan Veuger of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
New @BrookingsInst research shows that there was a significant decline in inflows to the United States in 2025 compared to 2024, estimating that net migration was between -10,000 and -295,000 in 2025, the first time in at least half a century it has been negative.
In a new… pic.twitter.com/FmtugUAjvN
– Brookings Econ (@BrookingsEcon) January 13, 2026
In a new analysis, the authors assess what the numbers will be in 2026 and how it will affect the U.S. macroeconomy.
The Trump administration’s repatriation efforts, which continue as you read this, have played a role, but other factors play an even more powerful role, researchers say:
While arrests and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been in the spotlight, the report’s authors attribute the majority of the drop in immigration to a slowdown in new arrivals orchestrated by President Donald Trump’s administration — from the near-closure of the U.S.-Mexico border to new visa restrictions and fees and the end of many humanitarian programs for migrants, including nearly all refugees.
Trump has made no secret of his intention to revamp the way things are done and made his intentions clear in a Thanksgiving message:
Reverse migration. “I will permanently suspend migration from all third world countries to allow the US system to fully recover, I will end Biden’s millions of illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and I will remove anyone who is not a trickle… pic.twitter.com/Dnd7wvtqjf
– Katy Grimes (@KATYSaccitizen) November 28, 2025
I will permanently suspend migration from all third world countries to allow the US system to fully recover, end Biden’s millions of illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and deport anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.
Other than that, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
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Poll: Americans favor less legal migration and plurality demand cuts or halt
The Brookings figures are disputed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which used lower numbers of expulsions and voluntary repatriations to arrive at a net migration number of +400,000. The Trump administration argues the opposite, saying there were more deportations and voluntary outflows that Brookings counted, and the net migration number actually shows an even larger decline than their estimate.
Many on the left are already complaining that falling immigration numbers will have a negative impact on the economy. “Reduced migration will dampen growth in the labor force, consumer spending, and gross domestic product (GDP),” Brookings wrote.
Would they prefer the chaotic deluge of unsupervised immigrants, as we saw with the Biden administration? Many on the right argue that in addition to the worrying humanitarian crisis Joe’s policies created, they caused rising rents, jobs going to illegals who were more than happy to work illegally for less than minimum wage, and a massive drain on our resources.
Immigrants (legal those) are good for the country, and have always been good for the country – when they assimilate. However, unless the process is orderly, rational and fair, it will not work in our favor. Trump was right to denounce this madness, and I am confident that America will remain a country where many dreamers want to settle in the future.
They just have to do it the right way.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration to our great country has virtually ceased. Despite the lies of the radical left, no new legislation was needed to secure our border, all it needed was a new president.
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