January 14, 2026
U.S. gets ghosted by migrants
US, for first time in 50 years, experienced negative net migration in 2025
America just got dumped: migrants say 'nah,' comment section explodes
TLDR: Brookings says the U.S. saw negative net migration in 2025, driven mostly by fewer entries and disputed removal counts, with a big consumer spending dip looming. Comments split between warning about lost tech talent, railing at “non‑productive” classes, and asking what changed since the last 50‑year milestone.
In a plot twist no one had on their 2025 bingo card, the U.S. logged its first negative net migration in at least 50 years, says a Brookings report. The study estimates net flows of -295,000 to -10,000, pointing mostly to fewer people coming in rather than mass removals. Cue the comment wars. One camp is warning about brain drain: “Silicon Valley runs on immigrant talent,” cried afavour, while others like mothballed turned the thread into a class war, claiming “productive workers” are getting squeezed by a “non‑productive” crowd. Meanwhile antonymoose just wants historical context: “What happened 50 years ago?” Same, king.
The numbers got messier: Brookings pegs 2025 removals at 310–315k, far less than the 600k the Department of Homeland Security is bragging about. Bonus drama: more removals started in the country’s interior via Customs and Border Protection (CBP), not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The report says the Trump team’s suspension of many humanitarian programs—while curiously sparing white South Africans—and fewer temporary visas helped flip the migration math. Also, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could boost enforcement in 2026. Economists are clutching pearls: consumer spending could drop $60–$110 billion. Commenters turned memes into policy takes, joking the U.S. got “left on read” by migrants and riffing on “Immigration Patch Notes: entries nerfed, removals buffed.”
Key Points
- •Brookings Institution reports negative net migration in the U.S. in 2025, first time in at least 50 years.
- •Estimated net migration flows for 2025 range from -295,000 to -10,000, driven mainly by a drop in entries.
- •Removals in 2025 estimated at 310,000–315,000, lower than DHS’s claim of over 600,000 and modestly above ~285,000 in 2024.
- •Report says CBP initiated most removals from the interior in 2025, a shift from ICE-led removals in 2024.
- •Policy changes, including suspension of many humanitarian programs and fewer temporary visas, and expected enforcement funding may extend impacts into 2026.