Fewer migrants see America as their future amid tougher US immigration policies

Global interest in moving permanently to the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement and tightens border restrictions, according to Gallup’s latest migration survey. Only 15% of prospective migrants worldwide selected the U.S. as their preferred destination in 2025, down from 24% recorded between 2007 and 2009. The survey documented declining preference for the U.S. across multiple regions while countries including Japan, Germany and Canada gained support among people seeking to relocate abroad.

Gallup surveyed more than 144,000 adults across 140 countries in 2025, first asking whether they would move permanently to another country if given the opportunity. Respondents who said yes were then asked to name their preferred destination. The U.S. remained the top choice worldwide, but its share fell to the lowest level since Gallup began tracking the question nearly 20 years ago. Canada placed second globally at 9% among prospective migrants.

About 900 million adults worldwide said they would like to migrate permanently, including about 134 million who identified the U.S. as their preferred destination. Overall global desire to migrate also slipped to 15% in 2025, down from 16% recorded between 2021 and 2024.

Preference for the U.S. declined significantly in Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Japan led in Southeast Asia with 23% of prospective migrants selecting it, compared with 12% for the U.S. Germany was the top choice in the Middle East and North Africa at 13%, followed by Saudi Arabia at 12% and the U.S. at 9%. Honduras posted the steepest country-level drop, with preference for the U.S. falling from 71% in 2024 to 36% in 2025.

Gallup said the latest survey period coincided with “a sharp slowdown in international migration into the U.S., amid changes in immigration policy and declining migration desire in several regions,” Gallup said. Since returning to office in 2025, President Donald Trump has expanded immigration raids, tightened asylum restrictions and increased deportation operations as part of his administration’s immigration crackdown.

International tourism data has reflected similar concerns about traveling to the U.S. In April, the World Travel & Tourism Council reported that inbound international visitation to the U.S. fell 2.3% in 2025 while spending by foreign travelers dropped 4.6%. Industry groups linked the slowdown to stricter border enforcement, reports of detentions and deportations and heightened scrutiny at U.S. entry points that contributed to what travel officials described as a “chilling effect” on inbound travel.

Concerns over immigration enforcement have also been especially pronounced among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. An AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll conducted in February found that nearly three-quarters of AAPI adults viewed Immigration and Customs Enforcement negatively, while more than six in 10 said Trump had gone too far in deporting immigrants living in the country illegally.

“AAPI adults are significantly more likely than the general public to hold unfavorable views of ICE, reflecting broader concerns about recent enforcement actions and their potential impacts on communities,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley.