One year into the current U.S. administration's immigration policies, various sectors are facing labor shortages due to reduced immigration. Construction firms in Louisiana report difficulties in finding carpenters, while hospitals in West Virginia are experiencing a decline in the number of doctors and nurses who would have come from abroad. Additionally, local sports leagues, such as a neighborhood soccer league in Memphis, are struggling to maintain participation levels as immigrant children are less likely to attend.

The U.S. government has implemented measures that restrict immigration, including increased visa fees, a significant reduction in refugee admissions, and a decline in international student enrollments. The rollback of temporary legal statuses has left hundreds of thousands of individuals vulnerable to removal. Reports indicate that over 600,000 people have been expelled under these policies.

Current estimates suggest that net immigration is approximately 450,000 individuals per year, a stark contrast to the two to three million annual arrivals seen during the previous administration. The foreign-born population in the U.S. reached 14.8 percent in 2024, a level not observed since 1890. However, the administration appears to be pursuing a goal reminiscent of the restrictive immigration policies of the 1920s, which significantly limited entry from many regions and reduced net immigration to zero.

Historical context reveals that the foreign-born population fell to 4.7 percent in 1970, and some advisors to the current administration have praised the low immigration levels of that era as a time of U.S. dominance on the global stage. The implications of these restrictive policies are likely to be profound, as immigration is deeply integrated into various aspects of American life, including education, healthcare, and the economy, suggesting that a significant reduction in immigration will have widespread effects on daily life for many citizens.