Trump and Miller Slashing Legal Immigration by 33% to 50%

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Trump officials have implemented policies to block American citizens and employers from sponsoring legal immigrants. The policies will override the immigration rules and categories that Congress established unless a lawsuit stops the actions.

“The Trump administration’s policies will reduce legal immigration to the United States by an estimated 33% to 50%, or by 1.5 million to 2.4 million legal immigrants, by the end of Donald Trump’s four-year term,” according to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis.

In FY 2023, 1,172,910 legal immigrants received permanent residence, also commonly referred to as green cards, on a pace for 4,691,640 over four years. “NFAP estimates 1,546,710 to 2,369,998, or 33% to 50%, fewer legal immigrants will gain green cards during Donald Trump’s administration due to policies that include significantly lower admission levels for refugees, restrictions on the Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens due to ‘public charge’ policies and a 39-country immigration ban, actions taken against Diversity Visa recipients and other policies.” The analysis provides a range because uncertainty remains about how restrictively administration officials will enact the policies.

These numbers do not include up to 2.7 million people lawfully in the United States when Donald Trump became president whose legal protections have been threatened. The Trump administration has ended Temporary Protected Status for several hundred thousand Venezuelans, Haitians and others, while also putting recipients of humanitarian parole at risk of deportation. In addition, upcoming policies could end or restrict international students’ ability to work through Optional Practical Training or STEM OPT, and a Labor Department rule could price employment-based immigrants out of the U.S. labor market.

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A U.S. citizen can sponsor a spouse, a child under 21 and a parent in the Immediate Relatives category and, in the family preference category, a sibling or a child 21 or older. A lawful permanent resident (green card holder) can sponsor a spouse, a child or an unmarried son or daughter who is 21 or older. Approximately 48% of legal immigration comes from the Immediate Relatives category.

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According to the analysis, “NFAP estimates that 941,625 to 1,654,770 fewer Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens will gain green cards during the Trump administration due to restrictive policies.” That represents a significant number of Americans who the U.S. government will deny the ability to live in the United States with their spouse, child or parent.

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