Report: Departures from America Exceed Arrivals for the First Time in 50 Years

SadaNews - Research estimates in America have shown that the number of immigrants leaving the United States in 2025 exceeded the number of immigrants arriving, for the first time in 50 years. According to the Brookings Institute, policies under President Donald Trump aimed at reducing the immigration rate to America to below zero have contributed to the increase in the number of departing immigrants.

The Washington Post commented on this development by noting that Trump’s policies, which led to a decrease in immigration to the United States, include closing the border with Mexico, imposing visa restrictions, and ending many humanitarian assistance programs for immigrants.

The newspaper reported on estimates published by economists at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday, stating that for the first time in at least half a century, the number of immigrants leaving the United States is greater than the number arriving.

According to these estimates, total immigration to the United States in 2025 ranged between less than 10,000 and 295,000, based on statistics first published in the summer by economists from the left-leaning Brookings research center and the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

In addition to arrest and deportation operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the report’s authors attributed the decline in immigration to the strict measures taken by Trump’s administration to combat the immigration phenomenon.

The Trump administration and some research centers, including the Center for Immigration Studies, claim that immigration to America has been extremely low and less than what Brookings economists estimate.

The Washington Post noted that official government statistics on immigration levels for 2025 will not be available until later this year.

Researchers stated that the United States is heading towards losing a greater number of immigrants than those it receives in 2026, which will have long-term consequences for the economy and population growth.

Regarding the implications of this negative trend in immigration, the authors of the research paper noted that it could lead to weaker growth in employment, GDP, and consumer spending.

Economists expect that total immigration in 2026 will be lower than that of the previous year.

Experts agree that immigration to the United States may be at a turning point, following the large wave of immigration during President Joe Biden's administration, which saw between 2 and 3 million immigrants arriving annually, contributing to the country's economic prosperity post-pandemic.

In contrast, the Trump administration aims to expel immigrants and has emphasized over the past year that reducing immigration helps decrease crime rates and improve job and housing opportunities for U.S.-born workers.

The Department of Homeland Security reported in December that 1.9 million undocumented immigrants "voluntarily left the country" since January 2025, while Brookings estimates that the number of immigrants who left the country voluntarily ranges between 200,000 and 400,000.

Economists who prepared the Brookings report see a decline in the number of immigrants in 2025 and 2026 as having tangible economic implications, resulting in a decrease in consumer spending between $60 billion and $110 billion, as the economy experiences a slow job creation rate.

Source: Washington Post