The immigrant population of the United States saw its largest spike in over two decades last year, officials figures show.
Analysis of newly-released U.S. Census Bureau data, by the Pew Research Center, reveals that the immigrant population grew by approximately 1.6 million people in 2023, marking the largest single-year increase since 2000.
The surge pushed the total immigrant population to 47.8 million, up from 46.2 million in 2022.
U.S. Border Patrol agents take asylum seekers into custody after they crossed a remote part of the U.S.-Mexico on September 19, 2024 near Jacumba Hot Springs, California. Immigrant border crossings remain low months after the Biden Administration’s executive order banning most asylum claims at the southern border. The issues of asylum and illegal immigration remain motivating topics for voters ahead of the upcoming U.S. election.
John Moore/Getty
Former president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in November’s election, has welcomed the figures as evidence of those who “live out the American Dream.”
The increase is driven largely by an influx of legal immigration, particularly from countries like India, Mexico, and China.
As of 2023, the largest immigrant groups were from Mexico, accounting for 10.9 million people (23 percent of the total), followed by India with 2.9 million (6 percent), China with 2.4 million (5 percent), and the Philippines with 2.1 million (4 percent).
According to Pew, nearly three-quarters of immigrants living in the U.S. as of 2022 were naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or lawful temporary residents. Around one-in-four immigrants (23 percent) were in the country unlawfully.
The growth underscores evolving immigration patterns, with a growing share of migrants arriving on temporary work visas, and fewer unauthorized entries as a proportion of the total population, compared to previous decades.
Immigration is a key issue in the 2024 election, superseded only by the economy as a priority for voters vote between Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her Republican opponent Trump.
The Pew research comes amid shifting public attitudes towards immigration, with bipartisan support for tighter controls.
Some 55 percent of the electorate — including nearly 30 percent of Democrats — want to see new curbs on immigration, the highest recorded figure since 2001, according to polling by Gallup.
Meanwhile a recent poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration compared to 36 percent who trust Harris.
Taylor Rogers, Trump Campaign Spokesperson told Newsweek: “President Trump has been consistent in encouraging legal immigration while stopping the invasion of illegal immigrants.
“President Trump respects the men and women that come to our great country legally to live out the American Dream.”
However Trump stoked controversy in some quarters when he told Fox News last week that he would force the million-plus people who arrived under Humanitarian Parole, or were allowed to stay in the U.S. through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), to leave if he wins a second term.
“Get ready to leave because you’re going to be going out real fast,” he said.
Legal and immigration experts have told Newsweekthat Trump would struggle to make good on the threat.
“In general, deportation is for people who lack immigration status,” Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School, told Newsweek.
“People here on parole or temporary protected status have a status, so they shouldn’t be put into deportation proceedings unless a separate ground of deportability (e.g., a criminal conviction) applies to them.”
Newsweek also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
The data highlights how immigration trends are responding to both economic opportunities in the U.S. and political shifts worldwide.
As the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic, sectors like healthcare and tech have seen increased demand for foreign-born workers.
This demand has driven immigration upward, even as debates over border security and immigration reform continue to dominate the national conversation.
The 2023 spike comes amid fluctuating U.S. policies on immigration, with advocates pushing for comprehensive reform to address both labor shortages and humanitarian needs. Despite political divisions, the numbers reflect a continued draw of the U.S. as a destination for immigrants seeking work, education, and safety.
Although the U.S. immigrant population hit a record high in 2023, their share of the total population remained below the all-time peak. Immigrants made up 14.3 percent of the U.S. population last year, a threefold increase from 4.7 percent in 1970 but still shy of the 14.8 percent record set in 1890.
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