Census Data Show the Foreign-Born Population Barely Grew in 2025, and a Restriction Group Says Trump's Policies Are Why

The number of immigrants living in the United States was nearly flat in 2025, Breitbart News reports, citing Census Bureau data.

The numbers. A Center for Immigration Studies report dated Oct. 30 says the Census survey shows a foreign-born population of 50.4 million, up slightly from 50.2 million in the 2024 survey, alongside 290 million U.S.-born Americans. That includes people here legally and illegally. CIS says the increase was just 174,000 from mid-2024 to mid-2025, compared with growth of 2.4 million from 2023 to 2024. It says that without the administration's policies the population would have jumped by 2.4 million again in 2025.

The 2026 figure. CIS also cites interim data pointing to a further drop of about 790,000 residents born abroad from March 2025 to March 2026. Breitbart calls the turn a reversal of federal pro-immigration policy dating to 1965 and 1990, and of the Biden administration's welcome of at least 8 million migrants.

The argument. Breitbart's Neil Munro writes that the government long boosted the economy by importing consumers, workers and renters, and that this "Extraction Migration" model benefited employers and Democratic urban political machines while costing Americans in wages, housing, schools, hospitals and political power. He says the Trump administration has curbed legal and illegal inflows, which pushes employers toward productivity technology and higher wages.

The quote. Breitbart cites Mr. Trump telling it in August, "We're going to need robots" because "we do not have enough people," adding that the economy will have to "get efficient."

Note for readers: the figures come from CIS, a group that favors lower immigration. The wage and housing claims are Breitbart's reporter's view, not Census findings. Breitbart also does not say how much of the slowdown comes from fewer arrivals versus more departures.