The population of immigrants born in Mexico residing in the United States registered a drop of 5% between 2010 and 2024, the first reduction observed since 1980, according to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), which warns that the trend could deepen as immigration control measures are strengthened at the border and in the interior of the country.

The report indicates that the United States Census Bureau counted 11.14 million residents born in Mexico in 2024, a figure lower than the historical maximum of 11.71 million reached in 2010. This decrease breaks a trajectory of sustained growth for more than four decades, a period in which the Mexican immigrant population reached five times the levels recorded in 1980.

The decline occurs against a backdrop in which the total foreign-born population continues to rise. Between 2010 and 2024, the number of immigrants in the United States grew 26%, reaching 51.28 million people, equivalent to 15.4% of the national population.

Despite the decrease, Mexicans continue to be the largest immigrant group in the country, representing 22% of the total number of people born abroad, that is, more than one in five immigrants living in the United States.

Less migration flow and stricter controls

The study identifies the decrease in irregular crossings on the southern border as one of the main factors behind this reduction. During fiscal year 2025, U.S. authorities intercepted about 238,000 people attempting to enter without authorization, the lowest number recorded in 55 years.

Of the total of these crossings, 47% corresponded to Mexican citizens, which reflects a significant change compared to previous decades, when migration from Mexico largely dominated border flows.

Researchers Andrés Ayala and Jeanne Batalova argue that “future reductions in the Mexican immigrant population could accelerate due to the tightening of immigration control measures on the border between the United States and Mexico and in the interior of the country.” The report also indicates that, as of mid-2023, approximately 5.5 million Mexican immigrants were living in the United States without immigration authorization. That figure represents four out of every ten undocumented immigrants in the country, whose total is estimated at 13.7 million.

Mexico maintains the largest community of foreign origin

Although the number of immigrants born in Mexico has decreased, the presence of the Mexican community continues to be decisive in the economic and social life of the United States. The study estimates that by adding people born in Mexico with Americans of Mexican descent—who are also considered Mexican citizens under Mexican law—the population reaches 40.5 million people, one of the largest national origin communities in the country.

In the workplace, Mexican immigrants maintained a participation rate of 68% in the civilian labor force during 2024, higher than the 63% recorded among people born in the United States.

California continues to concentrate the majority of this population, with 35% of the total Mexican immigrants, followed by Texas with 22%. Likewise, more than a third reside in five large metropolitan areas: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Riverside, regions that have historically concentrated important Mexican communities and that continue to be the main centers of settlement of this population.

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