Queens is widely known as The World’s Borough, and for good reason. Nearly half of its residents were born outside the United States, and more languages are spoken here than anywhere else.
But with immigration to the city on the decline, the county that prides itself on diversity could be hit hard.
The number of new international arrivals to the city has dropped by about 70 percent, per Census data released last week. Just 66,000 newcomers came between June 2024 and July 2025, compared to 220,000 the year prior.
Queens was ranked No. 4 on the list of counties whose population has plummeted. It dropped by nearly 8,900 people between summer 2024 and 2025.
The U.S. Census Bureau said population growth has declined dramatically in metro areas, largely due to nationwide reductions in net international migration.
“The nation’s largest counties like those in the New York metro area are often international migration hubs, gaining large numbers of international migrants and losing people that move to other parts of the country via domestic migration,” Census Bureau demographer George Hayward said in a press release. “With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”
The New York Times reported that international tourism is down in the city, too — 400,000 fewer people came to visit in 2025 than the year prior.
Some say President Trump’s crackdown on illegal border crossings is to blame.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said March 20 that February was the 10th straight month that Border Patrol did not release any unlawful arrivals into the United States. It said “the border remains more secure than at any point in history.”
There’s aggressive enforcement in the states, too — action in Minnesota by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year prompted congressional Democrats to refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security, absent guardrails to rein in ICE. Much of the DHS, though not ICE, has been shut down since Feb. 14.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Times that “of course Queens is going to take a hit,” with fewer international arrivals.
Richards at last Saturday’s No Kings march in Central Queens emphasized that the nation’s strength is in its diversity [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].
State Assemblyman Steven Raga (D-Woodside), who descends from Filipino immigrants, said in a statement that immigrant families are the city’s backbone, and Queens “does not work” without them.
“If this decline in new arrivals continues, neighborhoods like ours in Western Queens will feel it in our small businesses, schools, houses of worship, and the family networks that make Queens and New York what it is,” Raga said.
He said New York must resist the federal administration’s “anti-immigrant agenda,” including by investing in immigration legal services and passing the New York for All Act, which looks to curb the use of local resources for immigration enforcement.
Leslie Ramos, executive director of the 82nd Street Partnership in Jackson Heights, said the small businesses she has spoken with have reported a steep decline in commercial activities, as have workers in Corona.
“I do believe that’s related to the decline in the immigrant population, fear of ICE, and economic uncertainty,” Ramos said in an email. “If this trend continues, we could see an increase in businesses closing and storefront vacancies.”
She called for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for longtime residents — that, she said, would not only allay immigrants’ concerns about their future and economic stability, but spark commercial growth.
A spokesperson for City Councilmember Julie Won (D-Long Island City) said her office runs a free immigration clinic, and people have said they can’t be reunited with family members in the states due to delays in the processing of their applications.
“There’s so much fear,” the spokesperson told the Chronicle Tuesday. “People are afraid to come to the U.S. because they’re not sure what to expect — if they’re going to get a job, if they’re going to have trouble being in this country.”
If the number of new arrivals keeps declining, she said, people may return to their home countries, and the notion of “the American dream” could be lost, along with the diversity it brings.