Close to 20 million illegal aliens live across the United States today, along with hundreds of thousands of U.S.-born children to illegal aliens, a series of reports conclude.
According to the latest analysis from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), about 18.6 million illegal aliens reside in the U.S. today — an 11 percent increase from the 16.8 million estimated to be living in the U.S. as of June 2023.
“Since our December 2020 estimate, the illegal alien population in the United States has grown by 4.1 million, or 28.2 percent, reflecting an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration during the Biden administration,” the report details.
Per FAIR:
As of 2025, American population growth comes almost entirely from unsustainably high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal. [Emphasis added]
Chart via FAIR
While the nation’s illegal alien population has reached historic highs, the number of U.S.-born children to illegal aliens — commonly referred to as “anchor babies” — has remained steady, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) finds.
Anchor babies are rewarded with birthright American citizenship despite their parents having no legitimate ties to the U.S., many having only recently arrived. Years later, when the child is considered an adult, they can sponsor their parents and foreign relatives for green cards — anchoring their family in the U.S. for generations.
In 2023, CIS researchers estimate that about 225,000 to 250,000 anchor babies were delivered to illegal alien parents — accounting for about seven percent of all U.S. births that year.
“Up to a quarter-million births to illegal immigrants is hardly trivial,” CIS researchers Jason Richwine and Steven Camarota write.
They further note:
It appears to be more than the number of births to legal noncitizens, and it is greater than the total number of births in all but two states taken individually. Although not yet available, the 2024 numbers are likely to be even higher. [Emphasis added]
President Donald Trump and border czar Thomas Homan are hoping to make a serious dent in drastically cutting the nation’s illegal alien population through deportations and ending the nation’s anchor baby policy.
Immediately after taking office, Trump signed an executive order ensuring that birthright citizenship is limited to the U.S.-born children of American citizens and legal permanent residents with green cards.
A majority of Americans said they support the order.
On Monday, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that a migrant mobile app used by the Biden administration to import illegal aliens into the U.S. would be retooled as a self-deporting app.
“We sent a clear message: Catch and release is over,” Homan told Breitbart News last week.
“You come to the border, you’re gonna be immediately turned around, or you’re gonna be put in detention and deported,” he said. “We’re not going to catch and release, fly you to a city of your choice and give you a free hotel room, give you three meals a day, give you free medical care.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
Read the full article here
