Queens is widely known as The World\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
But with immigration to the city on the decline, the county that prides itself on diversity could be hit hard.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Census Bureau said population growth has declined dramatically in metro areas, largely due to nationwide reductions in net international migration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nation\u2019s 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,\u201d Census Bureau demographer George Hayward said in a press release. \u201cWith fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New York Times reported that international tourism is down in the city, too \u2014 400,000 fewer people came to visit in 2025 than the year prior.<\/p>\n
Some say President Trump\u2019s crackdown on illegal border crossings is to blame.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cthe border remains more secure than at any point in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s aggressive enforcement in the states, too \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Times that \u201cof course Queens is going to take a hit,\u201d with fewer international arrivals.<\/p>\n