ThinkTankWeekly

Trump Has Cut Legal Immigration More Than Illegal Immigration

CATO | 2026-04-27 | americas

Topics: United States, Americas

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English Summary

The analysis concludes that the Trump administration has implemented policies that have cut legal immigration flows at a rate significantly higher (estimated 2.5 times) than the reduction in illegal entries. Key evidence includes massive declines across legal categories, such as asylum seekers (99.9% drop), refugees (90% drop), and family/student visas, driven by visa bans and new fees. These sweeping cuts are projected to harm US citizens seeking to reunite with relatives and undermine national economic stability. Strategically, the report argues that the administration's agenda is not merely focused on curbing 'illegal' immigration, but represents a broader, systematic restriction on all types of immigration.

中文摘要

分析結論指出,川普政府實施的政策大幅削減了合法移民流量,其削減率顯著高於非法入境的減少幅度(估計高出2.5倍)。關鍵證據包括各合法類別的巨大下降,例如尋求庇護者(下降99.9%)、難民(下降90%)以及家庭/學生簽證,這些下降是受到簽證禁令和新費用的驅動。這些全面性的削減預計將損害尋求與親屬團聚的美國公民,並削弱國家經濟穩定性。從戰略角度來看,報告主張該政府的議程並非僅僅著眼於遏制「非法」移民,而是代表了一種對所有類型移民的更廣泛、系統性限制。

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