Fewer immigrants are coming to Utah, tracking with President Trump's immigration crackdown

SALT LAKE CITY — New population estimates for Utah show a sharp dip in the number of immigrants entering the state, paralleling the national trend and aligning with the crackdown on illegal immigration pursued by President Donald Trump's administration.

According to population estimates released earlier this week, international migration into Utah in the 12-month period ending July 1, 2025, totaled 7,501, down from an estimated 26,691 for the 12-month period ending July 1, 2024. Total international migration for the year ending July 1, 2023, reached 30,456.

The decline in the numbers of people coming to Utah from abroad tempered overall population growth for the year ending July 1 to 1%, bringing the state's estimated head count to 3.54 million, up from 3.5 million the prior year. Overall population growth for each of the two prior years, when international migration was stronger, reached 1.6%.

The overall population growth rate in the country also dipped compared to last year, and in releasing new numbers on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the Census Bureau cited the fall in international migration. "The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025," said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau.

Apart from international and domestic migration, Census Bureau demographers use births and deaths in calculating population estimates. The natural change in Utah — births minus deaths — held relatively steady from 2021 to 2025, ranging from 22,899 to 24,961.

In a blog post, Census officials said the fall in international migration stems from two things — a decrease in immigration and an increase in emigration, people moving out of the United States. The dip in immigration and increase in emigration track with one of Trump's priorities following his inauguration to his second term as president on Jan. 20, 2025 — cracking down on illegal immigration. Trump has prioritized moves to stop illegal immigration through beefed-up enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico border and deportation of those in the country illegally. His administration has also encouraged immigrants in the country illegally to self-deport.

In December 2024, when Joe Biden was president, U.S.-Mexico border apprehensions, a barometer of efforts by immigrants to enter the country illegally, totaled 47,320. That dipped to 8,349 last February, the first full month of Trump's second term, and to 6,478 as of last December, reflecting his efforts to augment border security. During Biden's presidency, the number had spiked to 249,740 as of December 2023, the highest monthly total since fiscal year 2023, before declining.

Immigrants coming to the United States account for the largest component of international migration, according to the Census Bureau, but the agency doesn't parse their migratory status, whether they enter legally or not. The departure from the country of immigrants and U.S. citizens born in foreign countries accounts for the second-largest component in international migration.

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