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For the first time in at least half a century, the United States lost more immigrants than it gained, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution published this Tuesday.
The study indicates that in 2025 the net migration balance was negative, with an estimated drop of between 10,000 and 295,000 people, marking a turning point in the recent migration history of the country, reported Washington Post.
Researchers Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson from the Brookings Institution, along with Stan Veuger from the American Enterprise Institute, attribute this trend mainly to the immigration policies implemented during the current administration of President Donald Trump, which have drastically slowed the arrival of new immigrants and increased voluntary departures and deportations.
Among the most significant measures, the report highlights the near-total closure of the border with Mexico, the reduction in visa issuance, the increase in consular fees, and the suspension of several humanitarian programs, including those aimed at refugees and asylum seekers.
Economists also estimate that around 300,000 people were deported in 2025, although this figure is significantly lower than the 600,000 deportations claimed by the Trump administration itself.
Nevertheless, the combination of voluntary departures and forced expulsions has resulted in the first negative migration balance since comparable records have been kept.
The trend may also continue into 2026. Brookings warns that the country "is already on track to lose more immigrants than it receives this year, with long-term effects on employment, consumption, and demographic growth."
According to their projections, the migration contraction could reduce consumer spending by between 60 billion and 110 billion dollars in 2025 and 2026, as the workforce decreases and the shortage of workers in essential sectors grows.
The report also highlights that the slowdown in migration has coincided with a drop in employment, making 2025 the second weakest year for job creation since the Great Recession, according to data from the Department of Labor.
Despite the warnings from economists, the White House has defended the figures as an achievement in terms of security and border sovereignty.
On social media, President Trump celebrated what he called a "historic outcome: net negative migration for the first time in 50 years," asserting that his border control policy "returns jobs and stability to American workers."
However, the authors of the study warn that the reduction in immigration could have adverse structural effects, as in the previous years, all demographic and labor market expansion in the United States had relied almost entirely on the arrival of immigrants.
"The slow migratory growth implies lower employment, lower GDP, and reduced economic dynamism," the report states.
The official immigration data for 2025 has not yet been released by the U.S. government and may differ from Brookings' projections, but experts agree that the shift in trend is already irreversible in the short term.
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