Last updated: 2026-10-19

United States Immigration in 2026: Key Facts and Figures

As of 19 October 2026, ICE's posted statistics show 356,389 removals in fiscal 2026 through 21 July (ABC/GMA); the foreign-born population was 50.2 million in the 2024 American Community Survey (CRS); the travel ban covers 39 countries (GWU); the Supreme Court held the birthright citizenship order unconstitutional on 30 June 2026 (CRS); and enforcement operations have drawn protests, including two fatal shootings of US citizens in Minneapolis in January 2026 (MPR; FactCheck.org).

Last updated 19 October 2026. This hub summarises four detailed pages. It reports government figures and independent estimates side by side, attributes each to its source and does not endorse either side's position.

Key figures

How many immigrants are in the United States in 2026?

The latest official benchmark is the 2024 American Community Survey, which counted 50.2 million foreign-born residents, about 14.8% of the population (CRS). Pew's monthly-survey series reached a record 53.3 million in January 2025 and then fell to 51.9 million by June 2025, which Pew called the first decline since the 1960s (Pew). The Center for Immigration Studies, a research group that favours lower immigration, estimated a fall of 2.9 million between January 2025 and July 2026, with a margin of error of about 1.04 million (CIS).

Unauthorized-population estimates run from 13.5 million to 15.8 million depending on the estimator and date, and no official DHS estimate for 2025 or 2026 was located. Net migration for 2025 ranges from negative (Brookings) to positive 1.3 million (Census, July 2024 to June 2025) because sources measure different periods (Brookings; Census). Gallup found 73% of Americans in 2026 say immigration is good for the country, down from a record 79% in 2025 (Latin Times on Gallup).

Full data: US immigration statistics.

How many people is the US deporting in 2026?

ICE's posted statistics show 356,389 removals in fiscal 2026, which began on 1 October 2025, as of 21 July 2026 (ABC/GMA). Independent counts for earlier periods are lower than cumulative government claims. For fiscal 2025, an ICE budget document gives 442,637 removals while an independent analysis of an ICE spreadsheet gives 319,980 (IBTimes; Factually summary). DHS also claims 2.2 million "self-deportations" without a published method (Factually summary).

At the southwest border, Border Patrol apprehensions fell from about 1.5 million in fiscal 2024 to 237,538 in fiscal 2025 and about 98,700 in preliminary fiscal 2026 figures (House brief; Voz). ICE detention peaked at about 73,000 in mid-January 2026 and stood at 65,765 in July; ICE says about 60% have a criminal record, while TRAC reported about 70% with no conviction in April (CBS; ABC/GMA; TRAC). NPR counted 29 deaths in ICE custody in fiscal 2026 by mid-April, a record (WYPR/NPR).

Full data: US border encounters and deportations.

What are the main US immigration policies and court rulings in 2026?

The travel ban covers 39 countries plus Palestinian Authority travel documents from 1 January 2026, under Proclamation 10998 (GWU). Pew counts 1,044,700 recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in designations the administration has terminated, two of them (Ethiopia and Somalia) then suspended in court (Pew). On 25 June 2026 the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Haiti and Syria terminations may proceed (Borderless).

On 30 June 2026, in Trump v. Barbara, the Supreme Court held the January 2025 birthright citizenship order unconstitutional (CRS). The refugee ceiling for fiscal 2026 was set at 7,500, the lowest since 1980, then raised to 17,500, and 16,292 refugees were admitted (EIG Law; Axios). A federal court vacated the $100,000 H-1B fee, and a new public charge framework applies to filings from 18 September 2026 (Univ. of Wisconsin; SCC Online).

Full detail: US immigration policy and court rulings.

What happened in the ICE protests and unrest?

Raids in Los Angeles on 6 June 2025 led to a curfew, 575 LAPD protest arrests by 16 June and the federalisation of the California National Guard (ABC News; Officer.com). Later operations in Chicago, Portland, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis-St Paul drew protests of varying size. In Minneapolis, an ICE officer shot Renee Good dead on 7 January 2026 and Border Patrol agents shot Alex Pretti dead on 24 January; the administration and local officials gave conflicting accounts, and no charge had been filed in Good's case as of 1 October 2026 (MPR; Fox 9).

On 23 December 2025 the Supreme Court denied, 6-3, a request to deploy the Guard in Illinois (Capitol News Illinois). DHS says assaults on officers rose by more than 1,000 percent, but court records show about a 25 percent rise in assault charges through mid-September 2025 (LAist). Organisers claimed more than 8 million participants at the 28 March 2026 "No Kings" protests (Source NM).

Full timeline: ICE protests and unrest.

How do US immigration policies affect Somali Americans?

Several 2025-2026 measures name Somalia specifically: it is on the full-restriction list of the travel ban, and its TPS termination took effect on 14 August 2026 after a court stay was lifted (GWU; USCIS). Pew counts 1,100 Somali TPS recipients (Pew). A USCIS memo of 2 December 2025 paused pending applications from nationals of the 19 full-restriction countries, a list that includes Somalia (NPR). These rules apply by country of nationality or designation. They say nothing about any individual.

Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis-St Paul began in December 2025 amid an online video alleging fraud at day-care centres run by Somali community members. A secondary source reports that state investigators found no evidence of fraud at the sites shown (Wikipedia). Population data, history and community facts are on a separate page.

Read more: Somali communities.

How does the US compare with other countries?

Comparisons depend on definitions: the US figures on these pages use "foreign-born" (the Census Bureau measure) and fiscal years beginning on 1 October, so other countries' numbers must be matched on the same basis before they are compared (CRS; Census). The US foreign-born share was about 14.8% in the 2024 survey (CRS). Different countries also count unauthorized residents, removals and net migration differently, and the US pages show how much the answer changes even within one country: net migration for 2025 runs from -295,000 to +1.3 million depending on the source (Brookings; Census).

The world section is the place for cross-country comparisons.

Read more: World immigration overview.

Why do US sources disagree?

Different sources count different populations, periods and categories. DHS and independent analysts disagree on removals, the unauthorized population, detainee criminality and the scale of attacks on officers. Each page lists its conflicts and unverified items so readers can see where figures rest on a single or secondary source.

Related pages

• US immigration statistics: foreign-born and unauthorized population
• US border encounters, ICE arrests and deportations
• US immigration policy and court rulings
• ICE protests and unrest
• Somali communities
• World immigration overview