Trump White House touts 96% drop in legal immigration from Muslim-majority countries

WASHINGTON, DC: President Trump's social media team promoted data this week showing a sharp decline in legal immigration from Muslim-majority countries since he returned to office.

The Rapid Response 47X account on Tuesday, Sept 29, posted a graphic from the Cato Institute showing immigration from Muslim-majority nations has been sliced 96% since ex-President Joe Biden left the White House.

Breakdown by country

On Monday, the Cato Institute reported, "Monthly immigrant visa issuances and permanent lawful refugee admissions fell from 21,096 in December 2024 to 808 in February 2026″… and the Rapid Response account seemed pretty stoked about it.

“[The] decline has affected nearly every majority-Muslim nationality in the world. Afghans accounted for fully one in four (27 percent) of all the drop for majority-Muslim countries, going from 5,563 legal immigrants and refugees in December 2024 to just 9 in February 2026, a 99.8 percent decline. Pakistanis followed with a drop of 2,963, or 97.9 percent.”

Afghans saw the biggest drop, making up 27 percent of the total decline in admissions from majority-Muslim countries.

Their numbers plummeted from 5,563 in December 2024 to just 9 by February 2026, that’s a staggering 99.8% decrease.

Pakistan followed, with admissions falling by 2,963, a 97.9 percent drop. On the other hand, only Qatar, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates recorded any increases during this period. Turkey’s decline was the mildest among the countries affected, down just 8 percent.

Context amid rising Muslim political visibility

Interest in Islam and Muslim immigration has intensified in politics over the last year.

In 2025, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, made history as New York City's first Muslim mayor, just seven years after he became a US citizen.

Meanwhile, in Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is in a close Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed’s campaign faces repeated scrutiny over his ties to commentator Hasan Piker, who once claimed the US "deserved" the September 11 attacks.

Trump has seemed to have a pretty chummy relationship with Mamdani, with the two meeting multiple times at the White House and, just last week, at the mayor’s mansion in NYC. The president said Mamdani has “potential” to be a “great mayor” in his eyes.

He hasn’t been so warm to El-Sayed, with Trump calling him a “communist loser who hates Jews and Israel.” 

These new numbers come after Trump’s earlier move to restrict immigration from several Muslim-majority countries during his first term, a decision opponents quickly dubbed the "Muslim ban."

Now, the drop in admissions shows that same hardline stance carrying through into his second term. Administration officials haven’t been quiet about it, either.

On social media, they’ve touted the lower numbers as proof their policies work. Beyond sharing Cato Institute data online, though, the White House hasn’t said anything more.