U.S. immigrant population sees first decline in decades after record 2023 peak, Pew report finds

The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. reached a record high of 14 million in 2023, according to a new Pew Research report . But due to shifting federal policies, that trend appears to be reversing.

The report notes that for decades, the nation's overall immigrant population has been climbing. In January of this year, 53.3 million immigrants lived in the U.S. But as of June, the population shrank by more than one million — the first decline since the 1960s.

"Immigrants come and go to the country, so that ebb and flow is part of the story," said Dr. Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research at Pew Research Center. "People are leaving, but what's changed is how many people are coming to the United States. Changes in policy have made it harder, during the