The Trump administration’s large-scale immigration crackdown is projected to have significant consequences for the U.S. economy, including slower growth and rising inflation, according to a new analysis.
On April 10, Bloomberg reported that Pia Orrenius, a Labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warned that aggressive immigration arrests and deportations could reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate by 1 percentage point in 2025 and raise inflation by 0.3 percentage points. If the crackdown intensifies and continues through 2026, she projected that GDP growth could decline by an additional 2 percentage points, with lingering economic effects expected to last at least through 2028.
“The bottom line is that there is a negative impact on the economy,” Orrenius emphasized in her remarks, citing the shrinking Labor supply as a major contributing factor.
This assessment marks one of the most severe forecasts yet regarding the economic implications of the Trump administration’s immigration policy. Orrenius’s estimates are notably higher than those of other institutions. For example, Goldman Sachs previously projected a 0.4 percentage point drop in GDP growth due to immigration restrictions, while The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution offered similar figures.
According to the Dallas Fed, the U.S. is currently deporting around 640 undocumented immigrants per day, a figure substantially higher than the 450 daily deportations reported by Bloomberg as having occurred through March 22 this year, based on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data. Approximately 37,000 individuals have been deported so far in 2025.
The primary economic concern centres on the shrinking labour force, especially in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and service industries that rely heavily on immigrant Labor. With fewer workers entering the U.S. Labor market, businesses may face increased Labor shortages, driving up wages and operating costs—factors that contribute to inflationary pressure.
As the Trump administration continues to emphasize strict immigration enforcement as a central policy goal, economists and policymakers are closely watching the broader ripple effects on the U.S. economy, Labor market, and long-term growth prospects.