Foreign-Born Workforce Falls by 700,000 as Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Reshapes U.S. Labor Market

The makeup of America’s workforce is changing — and the latest jobs report suggests President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is playing a major role.

Fresh Labor Department data released Thursday show the foreign-born labor force shrank by about 700,000 workers over the past year, marking a sharp reversal after years of rapid growth during the Biden administration.

The biggest drop came among men.

Nearly 1 million fewer foreign-born men are participating in the labor force than a year ago, while foreign-born male employment fell by more than 800,000.

By contrast, employment among foreign-born women continued to rise, indicating sectors like health care and child care remain relatively stable while industries that rely more heavily on male workers have seen steeper declines.

Overall, the foreign-born civilian population also declined, reducing the foreign-born share of the U.S. labor force from 19.0% to 18.7%.

The Labor Department doesn’t separate illegal immigrants from legal immigrants, visa holders, or naturalized citizens in its data. But the timing aligns with the Trump Administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, including tighter border security, increased deportations, and dramatically lower illegal border crossings.

The native-born workforce also got slightly smaller over the past year, largely because more Americans retired. But the native-born population itself grew by more than 2 million, highlighting that demographics—not immigration—are driving much of that decline.

The broader jobs picture remained strong. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.2%, while fewer foreign-born workers were actively seeking jobs, helping push their unemployment rate even lower.

The trend could have significant implications for employers. Instead of relying on a steadily expanding pool of foreign labor, businesses may increasingly have to recruit American workers, improve retention, boost wages, or invest in productivity to fill open positions.

More over at Breitbart News:

Trump Effect: The U.S. Workforce Is Becoming More Americanhttps://t.co/x6D2A8u5f8

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) July 2, 2026