A new poll on immigration reveals voters are not aligned with Trump: almost 80% are in favor

On January 20, Donald Trump returned to the White House with a promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. At first, the Republican administration stated that enforcement efforts would focus on undocumented immigrants with criminal records, a message that earned support from much of the country. Critically, at the same time that mass deportation was polled, the majority of voters also agreed that a path to citizenship should be made available to immigrants without a criminal record who had been living in the country for decades, and many of whom had familial ties to the US.

New polling from Gallup suggests that over the last seven months, public opinion is returning to the traditional consensus on immigration, which includes a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US.

A surprising shift in public opinion

According to the poll, eight in ten Americans—or 79%—believe immigration is “a good thing,” a significant increase from 64% just a year ago. This marks the highest level of support in the past 25 years.

In line with this trend, support for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants has also declined. A year ago, during Trump’s presidential campaign, 47% of Americans supported mass deportations. Today, that number has dropped to 38%, bringing it closer to levels seen in 2019 (37%) and 2016 (32%).

While most of those who support immigration are Democrats, a significant portion of respondents identifying as Republican or Independent also expressed support, indicating a notable shift across the political spectrum.

Approval of Trump’s immigration policy

When asked whether they support President Trump’s immigration policy, only 35% of respondents said they approve, while 62% disapprove. However, the partisan divide is stark:

Conversely, 81% of Democrats oppose Trump’s immigration policies, underscoring the deep political divide on the issue.

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