Fact check: How many illegal immigrants areinamerica in 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the most recent data available, the estimated number of illegal immigrants in America in 2025 is approximately 14.8 million as of May 2025 ^[1]. This represents a significant decrease of 1 million illegal immigrants since the start of 2025, attributed to a decline in the foreign-born population and specifically a decrease in non-citizens from Latin America who arrived in 1980 or later ^[1].

The data shows a dramatic reduction in border crossings, with a 93% decrease in illegal crossings along the southwest border in May 2025 compared to May 2024 ^{[2] [3]}. Most notably, zero illegal aliens were released into the country in May 2025, with only 8,725 migrants caught crossing illegally at the southern border ^{[2] [3]}.

For historical context, the unauthorized immigrant population was estimated at 11.0 million in 2022 according to the American Community Survey ^[4], suggesting the population had grown before the recent decline.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important context about the significant policy changes and enforcement measures that have dramatically altered immigration patterns in 2025. The sources suggest that aggressive border security measures have been implemented, resulting in the complete halt of releases into the interior ^{[2] [3]}.

Alternative perspectives on these numbers include:

• Immigration advocacy organizations would likely argue that these enforcement measures are causing humanitarian concerns and may be pushing immigration underground rather than actually reducing the population
• Border security proponents and enforcement agencies benefit from demonstrating the effectiveness of current policies through these dramatic reduction statistics
• Political figures supporting strict immigration policies gain significant political capital from these numbers, particularly the "zero releases" statistic

The data also suggests that the United States could lose more immigrants than it gains in 2025 ^[5], indicating a potential net negative migration that goes beyond just illegal immigration and includes legal immigration patterns.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is relatively neutral, but the sources providing the data may have inherent biases:

• The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which provided the 14.8 million estimate, is known for advocating for reduced immigration levels ^[1]
• Government sources (CBP and White House) have institutional incentives to present current border policies in the most favorable light possible ^{[2] [3]}
• The "zero releases" claim from official government sources may be technically accurate but could obscure other aspects of immigration processing or detention policies ^{[2] [3]}

Methodological concerns include the fact that estimating illegal immigrant populations is inherently difficult since this population actively avoids detection. The dramatic changes reported between 2022 (11.0 million) and 2025 (14.8 million, then declining by 1 million) suggest either significant methodological differences between studies or genuinely unprecedented policy impacts ^{[1] [4]}.

The timing of these reports (all from 2025) coincides with what appears to be a major shift in immigration enforcement, which could influence how data is collected, interpreted, and presented by various organizations with different political orientations.