anti-immigrant

adjective

an·​ti-im·​mi·​grant ˌan-tē-ˈi-mə-grənt  ˌan-tī- 

: opposed to immigrants or immigration : characterized by or expressing opposition to or hostility toward immigrants

State and local politicians have used widespread public opposition to immigration to justify new anti-immigrant legislation.

—Robert K. Schaeffer

anti-immigration

ˌan-tē-ˌi-mə-ˈgrā-shən, 

ˌan-tī- 

adjective

anti-immigration policies

News of the rising growth rate also prompted anti-immigration groups to claim that immigrants damage the environment.

—Priscilla Huang

Examples of anti-immigrant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The vigilante tradition in American culture In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, vigilantism was closely associated with anti-immigrant and anti-Black violence, most notoriously through lynching. — Daniel Lachance, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026

Both need a robust GOP turnout to win in November and neither wants to risk alienating too many within the party’s xenophobic, anti-immigrant wing. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

The Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which is anti-immigrant and a member of the coalition, wants to cut the defense budget for next year. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

American anti-immigrant politics consequently differs from the European version, remaining more closely bound to the Monroe Doctrine and its vision of hemispheric control. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above