MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE: Only about 18-20% of these immigrants come for work.

There has never been this much LEGAL immigration to the United States, nor for so long a period.

Since 1989 legal immigration has averaged 1,000,000 a year. For many of these years LEGAL immigration has topped 1.2 million.

Only about 18-20% of these immigrants come for work.… pic.twitter.com/1HoLYmMM9n

— White Papers Policy Institute (@WhitePapersPol) February 20, 2026

There has never been this much LEGAL immigration to the United States, nor for so long a period.

Since 1989 legal immigration has averaged 1,000,000 a year. For many of these years LEGAL immigration has topped 1.2 million.

Only about 18-20% of these immigrants come for work. 

The current administration has brought down legal immigration, and they expect to reduce it overall by 33-50%. Congress has to act, though. They must pass Chip Roy's PAUSE Act and stop all immigration until the system is rebuilt.

Source: Migration Policy.org "Legal Immigration to the United States, 1820-Present," Migration Policy Institute, November 2020.  Updated November 2024.