The stringent immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration would significantly reduce the U.S. workforce over the next decade, according to a study, potentially impacting the nation’s economy.
Drop In Workforce To Impact GDP, Debt
The U.S. workforce could decrease by 6.8 million people by 2028 and by 15.7 million by 2035 due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, as per a study released on Friday by the National Foundation for American Policy.
This could have a far-reaching impact on the U.S. economy, potentially leading to lower economic growth and a decrease in the nation’s goods and services produced, the study said.
By 2028, the anticipated drop in U.S. workers would include 2.8 million due to changes in legal immigration and 4 million from stricter measures against illegal immigration. About one-third of the projected 15.7 million fewer workers in 2035 would stem from legal immigration policies.
The policies are expected to lower the projected cumulative U.S. GDP by $1.9 trillion between 2025 and 2028, and by $12.1 trillion from 2025 to 2035, while also significantly raising the federal debt.
The study indicates that a shrinking workforce may affect the country's future demographics, potentially hindering efforts to restore manufacturing jobs and attract workers in health care, agriculture, and energy as the population grows older.
Immigration Crackdown To Fuel Inflation
The Trump administration’s immigration policies have already had a significant impact on the U.S. labor force. A September 2025 report highlighted a decline of over 1.2 million immigrants in the U.S. labor force from January to July, impacting various sectors and potentially contributing to inflation.
Earlier this month, the Labor Department echoed the same and warned that Trump’s aggressive immigration policies could disrupt U.S. agriculture, leading to food shortages and higher prices for consumers.
These developments also align with a CBO warning in September that the U.S. population growth is expected to decline at a faster rate than previously projected due to Trump’s immigration policies.
The CBO’s updated demographic outlook predicted that the U.S. would experience more deaths than births from 2031, two years earlier than previously projected, due to a reduced immigrant population and lower fertility rates.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
