Understanding U.S. Net Immigration Trends by President
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, immigration policies have become a key concern for American voters. This article provides an overview of immigration trends in the U.S. over the past two decades, during both Republican and Democratic presidencies.
A chart created by Kayla Zhu from Visual Capitalist provides a breakdown of net immigration figures in the U.S. from 2001 to 2024, categorized by immigrant status. The data for the years 2021 to 2024 are based on projections. These figures are sourced from a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) titled "Demographic Outlook: 2024 to 2054," which includes data and projections up to January 2024.
Classifying Immigrants in the U.S.
The CBO groups immigrants in the U.S. into three categories:
1. Lawful permanent residents (LPRs) and individuals eligible to apply for LPR status based on their current status, such as asylees and refugees. This group includes those granted LPR status within the U.S. and those admitted from abroad.
2. Temporary workers, student exchange visitors, qualifying family members, and others admitted as nonimmigrants under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) while they maintain that status.
3. People in the U.S. who do not fit into the first two categories and have not subsequently become U.S. citizens or received LPR, asylee, or nonimmigrant status. This includes individuals who entered the U.S. illegally or those who entered legally on a temporary basis and overstayed their legal status.
Net Immigration to the U.S. from 2001 to 2024
The article provides a detailed breakdown of net immigration figures for the U.S. from 2001 to 2024, categorized by immigrant type, along with the U.S. president in office at the time.
Immigration Trends under President Joe Biden
The largest increase in net immigration occurred during the term of current U.S. President Joe Biden. The CBO estimates that from 2021 to 2024, the U.S. experienced an influx of over 10 million immigrants across all three categories.
During Biden's term, unauthorized immigration saw a significant increase, with border authorities encountering record numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. This surge is attributed to factors such as post-pandemic migration, economic and political instability in countries of origin, and the perception of more lenient policies. This period saw over 4.4 million repatriations.
The CBO estimates that net immigration to the U.S. was 2.6 million in 2022 and 3.3 million in both 2023 and 2024. This amounts to an estimated 9.27 million net immigrants from 2022-2024, higher than the net immigration from 2010 to 2019, which saw 9.19 million immigrants enter the country.
Immigration Trends under President Donald Trump
Net immigration reached its lowest levels during the presidency of Donald Trump, with 3 million net immigrants during his term. Trump implemented 472 administrative changes that affected U.S. immigration policies.
These changes included the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration hearings, travel bans, significant reductions in refugee admissions and resettlement programs, and the implementation of Title 42, which allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants who came to the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in a significant decline in net immigration to the U.S., with immigration levels reaching record lows in 2020 due to travel restrictions, consulate closures, and visa processing suspensions. Immigration began to recover in 2022.
Bottom Line
Immigration policies and trends have varied significantly under different U.S. presidencies, influenced by a range of factors from global events to administrative changes. The data presented here provides a snapshot of these changes over the past two decades. What are your thoughts on these immigration trends? Do share this article with your friends and let us know your views. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.
