When an unabashedly anti-Trump outlet recently published a report on Muslim migration to the United States under President Trump, it must have seemed like the ultimate "gotcha" story. 

Instead, it is turning out to be more of a Republican campaign ad. Talk about an epic backfire.

The CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank that is about as open borders as it comes, published the report, "Legal Immigration from Majority-Muslim Nations Was Cut 96% Since 2024."

During his campaign in 2016, President Trump repeatedly proposed an outright ban on Muslims entering the United States. He then claimed that this policy idea morphed into the travel ban to avoid potential constitutional problems. During his 2024 campaign, he said he would bring back an even stricter ban than the one in his first term. He has succeeded. 

Data from the State Department through February 2026 show that the Trump administration has cut legal immigration by nationals of 45 majority-Muslim countries by 96 percent since December 2024. Monthly immigrant visa issuances and permanent lawful refugee admissions fell from 21,096 in December 2024 to 808 in February 2026. 

If you are looking for a major difference between Trump's second term and the Biden years, then look no further. 

The Trump administration's achievement was heralded by many conservatives on social media.

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Of course, there were many conservatives that want the Trump administration to go further and deport as many of such foreigners as possible.

The CATO's Director of Immigration Studies was triggered by the right-wing blogosphere's attention.

"Thanks for citing my work. You are violating the law and harming Americans while making the country less safe, less free, and less prosperous," he claimed.

This may strike some CATO folks as an odd thought, but some of us don't want to live in an amorphous economic zone filled with valueless NPCs, we want to live an actual country that protects our rights and defends Western Civilization.

That is not going to happen when you flood the country with millions of people who don't subscribe to American values and have no interest in assimilating. The majority of these "refugees" are military age males, and plenty of them are on the taxpayer dole. So, spare us the lecture.

Moving on, Cato's country-by-country data show the biggest percentage reductions among major source countries included Afghanistan (99.8%), Uzbekistan (99.8%), Somalia (99.7%), Yemen (99.6%), Syria (99.5%), and Pakistan (97.9%), with similarly dramatic declines affecting countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

Afghans alone accounted for 27 percent of the overall reduction, falling from 5,563 legal immigrants and refugees in December 2024 to just nine in February 2026. Only Qatar, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates recorded increases, while Turkey had the smallest decline, at 8 percent.

Cato attributes the decline to a combination of Trump administration policies rather than one single order. Those include the suspension and restructuring of refugee admissions, an entry ban covering 40 countries, a State Department immigrant-visa pause covering 75 countries, suspension of the diversity visa lottery and an immigrant-visa interview freeze. 

According to Cato, 34 of the 45 majority-Muslim countries were specifically covered by either the entry ban or visa suspension.

The report says the reductions have been substantially larger for majority-Muslim countries than elsewhere. Legal immigration from those countries fell 96 percent, compared with 36 percent for other countries. Majority-Muslim countries represented 33 percent of the legal immigration measured in December 2024 but accounted for 57 percent of the overall reduction by February 2026. 

Cato estimates that, if February's pace were maintained, FY2026 would see roughly 40,000 immigrants and refugees from these countries, nearly 80 percent fewer than in 2024 and the lowest level in at least three decades. That seems like a win to many Americans who have "immigration fatigue."

For American citizens, and legal immigrants who want to keep the nation the way it was founded, this is welcome news. Cultural diversity has become a flimsy excuse to balkanize and divide the country. 

When immigrants no longer assimilate and increasingly force their customs and ideals onto the host country, you cannot blame some people for wanting a time out to assess why these foreigners even want to be here.

So, while CATO may have thought they were slamming Trump's immigration policy, they accidentally advertised one of this administration's biggest wins.