Looking for better conservative conversation? Join Ricochet for just $5/month. Think of it as your neighborhood bar: familiar faces, lively debate, and room for a different point of view. Plus: listen to most of our podcasts ad-free.
The number of illegal aliens in the United States dropped by about 15 percent, to 13.5 million, during the first year and half of the Trump administration, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies.
But why do we trust that number? Could it be 30 million? Why not 100 million?
In this episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, host Mark Krikorian interviews two Center experts, Research Director Steven Camarota and Resident Scholar Jason Richwine, who explain what the Center’s population estimates are, how they are arrived at, their limitations, and why much higher estimates cannot be correct.
The two guests also discuss a second recent report finding a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the years since 9/11, many of which are either hostile to the U.S. or struggle with powerful terrorist movements.
In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian cites a recent Washington Post article discussing the escalation of third-country deportations to explain why this policy is needed for the integrity of the U.S. immigration system in the long run.
Host
Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Guests
Steven Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies.
Jason Richwine is a Resident Scholar at the Center for Immigration Studies.
Links
Census Bureau Survey Shows Total Foreign-Born Down 2.9 Million
Illegal Immigrant Population Was About 13.5 Million in July 2026
Since 9/11, the Number of Immigrants from the Muslim World Has Grown by 1.8 Million
How Trump turned a refugee bureau into a $410 million deportation operation
Intro Montage
Voices in the opening montage:
Hosted by Mark Krikorian
