NEW WORLD

Immigrant Population in U.S. Drops by a Staggering 1.4 Million

The reduction is a combination of forced removals by ICE and people leaving the U.S. fearing Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The total number of immigrants in the U.S. has declined for the first time in decades, according to new analysis from the Pew Research Center. The foreign-born population fell from 53.3 million in January to 51.9 million in June, a drop of 1.4 million people that coincides with Donald Trump’s major deportation push and ICE raids. The workforce shrinkage comes from a combination of forced removals and people leaving in fear, according to Axios. Immigrants made up 19 percent of the U.S. workforce in June, a drop of 1 percentage point compared to the same time last year. The study raises questions about the harm the outflux could have on the economy. January’s 53.3 million was a record high for foreign-born workers. Pew’s analysis was conducted using data from the Census Current Population Survey.