Overall, do you believe immigration has a positive, negative, or neutral impact on the country?

Background

Immigration is one of the most actively debated topics in American public life, touching on economics, demographics, cultural identity, and national security. As of January 2025, according to Pew Research Center, there were roughly 53.3 million immigrants living in the United States, making up close to 16 percent of the population — both record highs. Since then, dramatic policy shifts have sharply reduced migration flows. Researchers at the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute estimate that the United States experienced negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in at least half a century, with net flows between negative 295,000 and negative 10,000. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office projects that starting in 2030, annual deaths will exceed annual births, meaning net immigration will account for all U.S. population growth going forward.

Those who view immigration positively point to its economic contributions. The CBO found that the immigration surge from 2021 to 2026 would boost nominal GDP by $8.9 trillion over the 2024–2034 period and lower federal deficits by roughly $900 billion over the same window. Brookings research also highlights that immigration plays a critical role in sustaining an aging workforce, supporting programs like Social Security and Medicare. A June 2025 Gallup poll found that a record-high 79 percent of Americans said immigration is a good thing for the country. Those who view immigration more negatively raise concerns about costs to state and local governments; a CBO analysis found the immigration surge imposed a net cost of roughly $9.2 billion on state and local budgets in 2023 alone, primarily through spending on education, shelter services, and border security. Some also argue that large-scale immigration can put downward pressure on wages in certain sectors and strain housing markets, with the CBO noting that the greatest upward pressure on prices comes from increased demand for housing.

What is at stake spans the full breadth of American life. Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that declining immigration could reduce annual GDP growth by about 0.8 percentage points compared to prior projections, while having little offsetting effect on inflation. At the community level, Brookings found that metro areas with the largest increases in foreign-born population shares saw stronger economic performance over the past decade. Public opinion remains deeply divided along partisan lines: according to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 86 percent of Democrats disapprove of mass deportation programs while only 9 percent of Republicans share that view. The outcome of the immigration debate will shape workforce growth, the solvency of entitlement programs, the vitality of local economies, and the country's broader demographic trajectory for decades to come.