Immigration plunged in every Maryland county last year amid President Donald Trump’s nationwide crackdown. The decline blunted a trend of steady population growth since the pandemic, a Banner analysis of census estimates released Thursday found.

The state added 20,033 residents last year, growing to a population of roughly 6.3 million, a 0.3% increase from the year prior. That’s about half the growth Maryland saw in 2024.

Driving the slump was a 57% drop in immigration statewide. Each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City saw a decline of at least 45%.

The data reflects the cumulative impact of the Trump administration’s agenda, including not only mass deportations but also a broader set of efforts to deter immigration and encourage others to leave.

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement made over 3,200 arrests in Maryland during the first nine months of the Trump administration, a majority involving people with no criminal history. But other hard-line policies, such as tighter border controls, restrictions on student and worker visas, and sharply curtailed refugee admissions, have also affected the state.

Immigration hasn’t stopped entirely: Net arrivals from abroad topped 20,500 last year. But experts say the slowdown will have a widespread impact on Maryland’s economy and cultural fabric.

“The one word that’s standing out for me is just ‘chilling,’” said Amanda Phillips de Lucas, director of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance at the University of Baltimore.

Thousands of Hispanic and Latino residents have arrived in Baltimore over the last decade. Local leaders have attributed much of that growth to immigration patterns. The new arrivals have bolstered population numbers as the city’s population has shrunk.

“When you cut off that flow, you’re cutting off an economic engine, and you’re cutting off a cultural engine and a social one,” Phillips de Lucas said.

Supporters of Trump’s policies hailed the declines, saying a rollback was needed after immigration surged to record levels under former President Joe Biden.

“This is an effort to get the scales back in balance,” said Ira Mehlman, a spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for lower immigration levels and has lobbied against a Maryland bill that would prohibit law enforcement officers — including federal immigration agents — from wearing masks while they’re on the job.

“It frees up jobs, it frees up affordable housing, it lessens the burdens on schools and public health facilities and other vital resources that are much needed.”

The new census data measures changes in births, deaths, migration and total population from June 30, 2024, to July 1, 2025. It spans a period of more stringent immigration enforcement at the end of the Biden administration, as well as roughly the first six months of the second Trump administration.

Baltimore and Baltimore County lost residents last year. But a Banner analysis found that both places would have grown if their immigrant populations had increased at the same rate as the previous year.

The county’s population grew in 2024 for the first time in five years, in large part because immigration offset domestic migration losses. Just a year later, many of those gains reversed: The county lost 788 residents, the most of anywhere in Maryland. Its population now stands at just under 848,000.

Immigrants make up about 15% of Baltimore County’s workforce, according to 2019 data. Advocates warn that losing those workers could have ripple effects across the local economy.

“They pay taxes and contribute a lot to the economy,” said Maureen Wambui, a Kenyan immigrant, Baltimore County resident and community advocate. “So if we have all these people moving out, that means they’re moving out with their monies, also.”

Officials and residents in Baltimore celebrated population growth for the first time in a decade in 2024. That growth was stymied last year: The city lost fewer than 100 residents, hovering at 570,000 total people.

The stability in the city can largely be attributed to fewer residents leaving — even as international migration dropped 65% from the year before.

“Staying the same, that’s a good story for Baltimore,” Phillips de Lucas said. The city has lost more than 50,000 residents since 2010.

Immigration to Anne Arundel County declined by 70% and to Howard County by 48%. Still, both places grew last year by 0.4%, as immigration outpaced domestic out-migration and births far exceeded deaths.

The state’s most populous counties — Montgomery and Prince George’s — also grew despite similarly large declines in immigration.

Nationwide, immigration dropped from 2.7 million in 2024 to 1.3 million last year, falling by at least 25% in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. West Virginia led the nation with a 78% decline. Maryland ranked 16th.

Immigration enforcement shows no signs of abating. Just a few days after the census’ data collection period ended, Trump signed into law the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which poured an additional $170 billion into border and interior enforcement.

Experts say it’s a sign that further declines could be coming.