Washington, D.C. (November 30, 2023) - A new Center for Immigration Studies analysis of the government’s Current Population Survey (CPS) shows that the total foreign-born or immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached 49.5 million in October of 2023 — a 4.5 million increase since President Biden took office and a new record high. At 15 percent, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population is also the highest ever recorded in American history. Our best estimate is that over half the recent increase is new illegal immigration.   
 
“The administration’s decision to curtail immigration enforcement and release so many people into the country certainly pleases employers and immigration advocacy groups, said Steven Camarota, the Center’s Director of Research and lead author of the report. “But little consideration seems to have been given to what this level of immigration means for taxpayers, schools, hospitals, American workers, national security, to say nothing of the rule of law or our ability to assimilate so many newcomers.” 
 
Among the findings:

• Since President Biden took office in January 2021, the foreign-born population has grown by 4.5 million – larger than the individual populations of 25 U.S. states.
• The 49.5 million foreign-born residents (legal and illegal) in October of 2023 is also a new record high.
• Since President Biden took office in January 2021 the foreign-born has grown by 4.5 million — larger than the population of 25 U.S. states.
• Based on our prior estimates of illegal immigrants, more than half (2.5 million) of the 4.5 million increase in the foreign-born since January 2021 is likely due to illegal immigration. If adjusted for those missed by the survey, the increase would be larger.
• The 4.5 million increase overall and the 2.5 million increase in illegal immigrants are both net figures. The number of new arrivals was significantly higher but was offset by outmigration and natural mortality among the foreign-born already here.  
• The foreign-born has grown on average by 137,000 a month since President Biden took office, compared to 42,000 a month during Trump’s presidency before Covid-19 hit, and 68,000 a month during President Obama’s two terms.
• The scale of immigration is so high that it appears to have made the new Census Bureau population projections, published on November 9 of this year, obsolete. The bureau had projected that the foreign-born share was not supposed to hit 15 percent until 2033.
• The largest percentage increases since January 2021 are for immigrants from South America (up 28 percent); Central America (up 25 percent); Sub-Saharan Africa (up 21 percent), the Caribbean (up 20 percent), and the Middle East (up 14 percent).
• Immigrants from all of Latin America increased by 2.9 million since January 2021, accounting for 63 percent of the total increase in the foreign-born.  
• While a large share of the recent foreign-born growth is due to illegal immigration, legal immigrants still account for three-fourths of the total foreign-born population.