For the first time in half a century, the United States had negative net migration

The United States recorded negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in at least five decades, according to a report published by the Brookings Institution. The figure reflects a deep change in the country's migration dynamics and marks the concrete impact of the tightening driven by the Trump administration. The president had promised during the campaign to put an end to mass immigration and regain control of the borders.

According to the study, net migration flow stood between –295,000 and –10,000 people during 2025. In addition, the authors anticipate that, given the continuity of the policies implemented, negative net migration could be repeated in 2026.

What negative net migration means

Net migration measures the difference between the people who enter a country and those who leave during a given period. The fact that this indicator is negative means that there were more departures—whether through deportations or voluntary departures—than arrivals of new immigrants.

In other words, during 2025 the United States received fewer immigrants than it allowed to leave, something that had not happened for more than half a century.

The study emphasizes that the negative balance was not due exclusively to expulsions, but to a structural change in migration policy. Among the central factors are:

• The suspension of most of the "humanitarian programs" that Americans were paying for.
• The reduction of temporary visas.
• The tightening of border and internal migration control, which discouraged new entries.

This shift put an end to years of policies that operated as an incentive for irregular immigration and massive entry without effective controls.