According to a report from the Brookings Institution, net immigration into the United States in 2025 was negative, for the first time in at least a half century.
The number of American residents leaving the country exceeded newcomers entering by somewhere between 10,000 and 295,000. While that range is so large it tends to call into question the study’s methodology, nevertheless the fact that in every way one looks at the facts, more people left than arrived. That in itself is historic and essentially unheard-of.
The authors explain that they used “available data combined with judgment” to arrive at the range. Here are some of the study’s findings:
- From May 2024 to May 2025, issuances of green cards dropped more than 20 percent.
- The total number of refugees for 2025 is estimated at between 7,600 and 12,000. That compares with 105,000 refugees admitted in 2024. The 2026 number is estimated to fall to between 1,200 and 7,500.
- About 2.17 million non-immigrant visas (such as H-1Bs) were issued in 2024. The study estimates a 2025 figure to be as little as half that. The 2026 figure is estimated to amount to no more than 85 percent of 2025’s.
- The number of foreigners requesting parole in 2025 is estimated at around 67,000 to 70,000, many of whom arrived in the first month of the year, before Trump’s inauguration. By comparison, the 2024 number, under Biden, was 1.41 million. For 2026, the study predicts a range of 26,000 to 53,000.
For more, see the Brookings Institution website.