Decrease in Illegal Immigration Under Trump Administration
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, recently revealed that the U.S. has seen a significant decrease of 1.6 million illegal immigrants since the start of Donald Trump’s second term.
“In less than 200 days, 1.6 MILLION illegal immigrants have left the United States population,” Noem stated in a press release. “This is massive. This means safer streets, taxpayer savings, less pressure on schools and hospitals, and better job opportunities for Americans. Thank you, President Trump!”
Noem took her oath as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on January 25, shortly after Trump was inaugurated for the second time.
The press release highlighted an “international, multimillion-dollar ad campaign” that Noem initiated to encourage illegal aliens to leave the country within her first 200 days in office.
Noem’s assertions are drawn from a preliminary report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which estimated a reduction of 1.6 million illegal immigrants in the last six months. The report suggested this decline may be attributed to increased enforcement measures prompting out-migration.
The CIS study analyzed data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), reporting an overall drop of 2.2 million in the foreign-born population—legal and illegal—between January and July, marking the largest six-month decrease within a single year.
However, the study’s authors cautioned that there may be limitations to their findings.
“It is possible that the observed decline in the foreign-born was due, at least in part, to a greater reluctance by immigrants to participate in the survey or to identify as foreign-born,” they noted.
The CIS report also pointed out that not all the necessary administrative data to accurately estimate the count of those unlawfully in the U.S. is available at the moment, and their conclusions should be seen as preliminary.
The White House followed up with a statement detailing the administration’s achievements related to illegal immigration. They also referenced a CNN article claiming that Trump aims to report up to 1 million immigrants annually from the U.S. This would imply that the figures Noem mentioned are already exceeding expectations in a shorter timeframe.
Looking ahead, the administration may anticipate an increase in deportations, as they recently noted receiving over 100,000 applications for positions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to a recruitment campaign that includes new incentives for recruits.
What are your thoughts on this development? Feel free to share your opinions below.
