According to Laura Romero from ABC News, the U.S. experienced negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in at least half a century as a result of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a report released on Tuesday, January 13, by the Brookings Institution.
Although the administration has undertaken aggressive removal efforts, the negative number is mostly due to a significant drop in entries into the U.S., the report said.
“We estimate net flows of -295,000 to -10,000 for the year,” the Brookings study stated. “Though a high degree of policy uncertainty remains, continued negative net migration for 2026 is also likely.”
The report attributed the shift to a combination of the large drop in entries and an increase in enforcement activity leading to removals and voluntary departures.
The Trump administration’s suspension of many humanitarian programs — including most refugee programs except those involving white South Africans — and a decline in temporary visas also contributed to the negative net migration, the report said.
The report’s authors estimate there were between 310,000 and 315,000 removals in 2025, a figure lower than what the administration has claimed. Department of Homeland Security officials claim that, so far, more than 600,000 people have been removed during the crackdown.
Click here to read the complete, original article by Laura Romero on ABC News
Source: ABC News
