The Brookings Institute reports,
We estimate that net migration was between –10,000 and –295,000 in 2025, the first time in at least half a century it has been negative.
If you are not familiar with Brookings, to give you an idea of their ideological leanings, the article lists three authors: two are on Bluesky and one on X (Twitter). In other words, it’s a source that people on the left will listen to and take seriously.
The actual number of departures is likely much larger than Brookings will admit, but the importance here is the sign in front of the number: negative, minus (-).
Brookings goes out on a limb,
In our assessment, net migration is likely to be very low or negative in 2026 as well.
Of course, for Brookings, this is all bad news,
Reduced migration will dampen growth in the labor force, consumer spending, and gross domestic product (GDP).
The key number to watch in 2026 is labor force participation. With illegal immigrants no longer crowding out native-born Americans from the job market, and driving down wages, will more Americans come off the sidelines and seek work?
According to the most recent data available, the number of foreign-born workers increased by 383,000 in the past 12 months. The number of employed foreign-born men dropped last year.
For native-born workers, the number employed increased by 2,043,000 last year.
So much winning.
