First Time Since 1930s, Negative Immigration Becomes Significant In US

The Trump administration’s continuous crackdown on immigrants yielded the desired results. According to a new research by the Pew Research Center, for the first time in the last few decades, the United States is witnessing more immigrants exit than enter. The analysis of census data showed  foreign-born population decline by nearly 1.5 million from January to June this year. The total number of immigrants in the nation fell to 51.9 million in June, from the 53.3 million in January, reported New York Times.

The Trump government is happy over the shift in the immigrants behavior and officials said that the decline has reduced pressure on public services and also improved job markets. Supporters of the Republican Party argue that stricter warnings would help America become great.  However, critics warn that the exit of immigrants would have long-term economic and demographic risks.

It is worth remembering that the US experienced negative net migration in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when hundreds of thousands of Mexicans and Mexican Americans left. At that time, the exit of immigrants was due to economic downturn but now, it is due to the change in policy.

During the hustings, President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportations and since the day he assumed office, made the asylum rules strict, restricted visas for students and skilled workers, and also increased detentions and deportations. Recently, he posted on Truth Social: “Promises made. Promises kept. Negative net migration for the first time in 50 years!”

Following the implementation of new policies, legal immigration has also declined. Refugee admissions have been paused, visa screening has intensified, and several temporary protection programs have ended. Thousands of immigrants would lose their status in the next few months. Some immigrants are choosing to leave the US voluntarily, through a self-deportation program, fearing imprisonment in some cases. Several families are readying to leave on their own terms.

However, economists warn that the decline could deepen labour shortages in the agriculture, restaurants, and elder care sectors. It is feared that there could be a economic slowdown too due to the negative immigration. Moreover, aging population in the US is depending on the young immigrant workers, which could also prove to be a trouble in the future. It has to be seen if the exit of immigrants would really help the US and benefit the labour market.