Hacker News Reader

Comment by CGMthrowaway | Hacker News Reader

>It’s driving everyone away.

Then why are millions moving to the US every year?

It's a strong downward trend:

> In 2025, only 2.6 million people immigrated to the United States, a sharp decline from the 5.8 million who entered in 2023 and the 4.6 million who entered in 2024.

source: https://forumtogether.org/article/the-consequences-of-net-ne...

Yes, there are still people migrating to the USA, but it is a lot less than it used to be.

But still more than any other country.

For now! Look at the derivative.

Are you including undocumented?

They're not anymore. See: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/macroeconomic-implication...

Key finding: "We conclude that net migration was likely close to zero or negative over calendar year 2025 for the first time in at least half a century. For 2026, we project net migration is likely to remain in negative territory."

That's from Brookings and the data/conclusion is disputed by other sources

They're literally the most cited think tank in the world [0], and they're a highly trustworthy source [1].

How can you even pretend to discredit Brookings?

[0] https://thinktankalert.com/rankings

[1] https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/brookings-institute/

You misunderstand me. I'm not discrediting. I'm not one to dismiss data just because of where it comes from, without looking at its merits.

My point was there are other credible sources that come to a different conclusion (e.g. net inmigration). Most official trackers still estimate positive net migration rather than a net outmigration. Over the last year or so, Brookings estimates up to -300K, while US Census estimates +1.3M, CBO estimates +410K, Goldman Sachs estimates +500K, and CIS estimates positive (in)migration.

Does that clear up my comment?

Every fact is disputed by other sources. You are mudslinging with imaginary mud.

But then the word "throwaway" in usernames has become an indicator of this, lately.

Money of course. that doesn't mean this is a good place to live let alone do science.

I personally am still very bullish on living in America compare compared to a lot of places, but it's getting harder to ignore the stresses and costs of living here compared to the money that once made this place worth it

Because the comment you replied to is wishful thinking and not facts. Highly qualified people are still falling over each other trying to secure US visas, whereas the international press loves to print headlines like “scientists are leaving America in droves”, naming a grand total of three specific scientists who left.

The world doesn’t operate the way we want it to, and US salaries are head and shoulders above what you can get anywhere else in the world. That’s what people really care about, and not the news cycle surrounding the current administration.

We can't even employ the PhDs we have

Immigrant scientists may be leaving America, because federal funding for some sciences areas have been rather abruptly cut. But, scientists are a small portion of high-skilled migrants.

> Highly qualified people are still falling over each other trying to secure US visas, whereas the international press loves to print headlines like “scientists are leaving America in droves”, naming a grand total of three specific scientists who left.

Not from my group of colleagues. The only person who actually did end up going for a green card is actually the most politically unaware and least competent.

> US salaries are head and shoulders above what you can get anywhere else in the world.

This may be the case but the cost of health care, child care and homeownership are so much higher now than they used to be that for a lot of people it doesn't make any economic sense anymore.

I see a lot of people going for a few years, working their assess off, then leaving before they even have to start thinking about a mortgage.

You can have a significant downward trend in quality of life in the US and still be an appealing destination for people in war zones or whose families have been killed by gangs.

The US isn't the worst place to live, by any means, but we are currently machine-gunning ourselves in the foot and it would be nice to stop doing that.

Much the same reason why millions play the lottery each year. There is a chance, however small, that you'll win and join the obscenely rich mentioned earlier.

>Global temperatures are rising.

Then why is it cold outside??

Are you joking? It's hard to tell. Here's what many parts of the world are dealing with today: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/21/super-el...

edit: That's the better interpretation, thanks!

They're saying that asking why millions still come here if it's a worse place to be is analogous to asking why it can be cold outside if global temperatures are rising.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com