The U.S. immigrant workforce has dropped by over 1.2 million from January to July.
SAN DIEGO — The U.S. immigrant workforce has seen a significant decline in recent months. According to a report by the Associated Press, more than 1.2 million immigrants left the labor force between January through the end of July, based on preliminary Census Bureau data.
The Pew Research Center’s analysis of Census Bureau current Population Survey data reveals that as of June, 19 percent of the U.S labor force were immigrants down from 20 percent and by over 750,000 workers since the beginning of the year.
“Immigrants in this country, folks that have legal status and those that have no legal status, they are frightened,” said Adam Peña, a local immigration attorney.
The Pew report cites policy changes that may be affecting the U.S. immigrant population. These include asylum restrictions announced by then-President Joe Biden in June 2024 and immigration-related executive actions under President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January.
“There are some reports that some individuals are choosing to self-deport, and there’s other individuals that’s are just choosing not to show up to work not to go out in public,” Peña explained.
While the full impact of these policy changes remains unclear, Pew estimates that they are already contributing to a declining immigrant population. This trend could have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy and consumers.
Peña warned of potential impacts, stating, “When you don’t have that workforce available, then you know, you’re going to have industries or sectors that are gonna now have to scale back on services, scale back on production, and what that means is higher prices on goods and services.”
Overall, Pew estimates that the number of immigrants working and living in the U.S. declined between January and June of this year. The long-term effects of this trend on various industries and the broader economy remain to be seen.
