US Sees Negative Net Migration for First Time in Nearly 100 Years Amid Trump's Border Crackdown
There has been a net migration of foreign-born people out of the United States since President Donald Trump started his second term and implemented stronger border and immigration policies.
“Since January 2025 when President Trump took office the government’s monthly household survey, officially called the Current Population Survey (CPS), shows an unprecedented 2.9 million decline in the foreign-born population — naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, long-term temporary visitors, and illegal immigrants,” the Center for Immigration Studies reported on Thursday.
“The total foreign-born population declined 2.9 million from January 2025 to July 2026. This follows an 8.3 million increase in the prior four years during the post-Covid border surge,” CIS added, which was during President Joe Biden’s time in office.
“The huge recent decline in the foreign-born population indicates that net migration to the United States was negative in the last year and a half for the first time since the 1930s,” the group said.
Since January 2025:
– The total foreign-born population declined 2.9m.
– Illegal immigrant population may have declined 2.3m. https://t.co/EhkraDijMB pic.twitter.com/z7nP8tUHYX
— Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) September 3, 2026
CIS further noted that it estimates the illegal immigrant population in the United States overall declined by 2.3 million people, from 15.8 million in January 2025 to 13.5 million in July 2026.
This decline has come about due to deportations and voluntary departures.
Trump campaigned on closing the southern border from the chaos seen during the Biden administration, and he has delivered.
In an interview for British outlet GB News on Thursday, the president said, “I closed our border. We haven’t had a person come in illegally into our country through the southern border in 17 months now… Nobody gets in — and you could do the same thing, and so could Spain.”
.@POTUS to @GBNEWS: “I closed our border. We haven’t had a person come in illegally into our country through the southern border in 17 months now… Nobody gets in — and you could do the same thing, and so could Spain.” https://t.co/fTzUVS5x19 pic.twitter.com/5lCjumrkxs
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 3, 2026
The numbers compiled by Customs and Border Protection regarding the United States’ southwestern border tell the story of this administration’s success.
In fiscal year 2023, under Biden, nearly 2.5 million encounters occurred at the border, and in September of that year alone, there were approximately 270,000.
By contrast, in February of 2025, Trump’s first full month in office, that number dropped to about 11,700.
Further, as Trump mentioned, he ended the catch-and-release policy that Biden had in place.
Joe Biden has had 3 years to secure the border.
Why is he just now signing an executive order to fix it?
It’s a political play before the election to get the corporate media to gush and say “things aren’t so bad.” pic.twitter.com/h9tAixcu8J
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 4, 2024
When they are caught, they are returned across the border or to their country of origin instead of released into the United States.
In a mid-August news release, the Department of Homeland Security noted 15 straight months of “zero releases” at the border.
“Again this month, the results are clear: President Trump’s border security agenda is restoring order and putting the safety of the American people first,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “DHS remains focused on enforcing our immigration laws, securing the border, and ensuring those who enter our country illegally are removed swiftly. Thanks to the strong leadership of President Trump, we have the most secure border in history.”
And border security and deportation are no doubt a contributing factor to the murder rate dropping to the lowest level in over a century.
Trump promised to secure the border and make America safe again, and he is delivering on both.
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