President Donald Trump’s actions on immigration continue to be seen as one of his stronger areas as he increases deportations and focuses on people living in the U.S. without legal status, according to a new poll.
The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 46% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling immigration. That’s about 10 percentage points higher than the number who approve of his work on the economy and trade with other countries.
Trump’s actions still divide public opinion, but fewer people think he has overreached on immigration compared to other topics. However, most Americans don’t support a stricter approach. About half of them say Trump has “gone too far” in deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. without permission.
People are split over the decision to deport Venezuelans accused of gang activity to El Salvador, and more people disagree than agree with canceling student visas for those involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Here’s what the poll reveals about how Americans view Trump’s immigration policies:
Immigration remains a strong point for Trump, especially among Republicans
Immigration was an important issue in last November’s election, especially for Trump voters. They were more supportive of strict measures than they had been four years earlier. Even though many of Trump’s immigration policies are facing legal challenges, it continues to be one of the topics where he gets more support.
Like a previous AP-NORC poll from March, this new poll shows that nearly half of Americans support Trump’s approach to immigration. In comparison, about 4 in 10 approve of how he is handling his job as president.
JD Vance and Donald Trump at an eventRepublicans are driving this support. Around 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s immigration policies. That’s more than the 7 in 10 Republicans who approve of his work on the economy or trade deals.
Other groups are less supportive. Around 4 in 10 independents and only 2 in 10 Democrats approve of Trump’s immigration policies.
Few Americans are very worried about being directly affected by stricter immigration enforcement, the poll says. Only about 2 in 10 people say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned that they or someone they know could be affected.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry about this, and Hispanic adults are more concerned than white or Black adults.
Half of Americans say Trump has ‘gone too far’ with deportations
About half of those surveyed believe Trump has “gone too far” in deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Around one-third think his actions have been “about right,” and about 2 in 10 think he hasn’t gone far enough.
People are even less happy with how Trump is handling trade. About 6 in 10 say he has “gone too far” by adding new tariffs on other countries.
Even among people who support Trump’s immigration efforts, most don’t want tougher measures. About 6 in 10 of his supporters think his current approach is “about right,” and about 3 in 10 want him to go further.
Venezuelan migrants board a plane heading back to their home country from HarlingenAmericans disagree on deporting Venezuelans and canceling student visas
The survey shows people are split on the Trump administration’s larger deportation efforts. It was conducted in mid-April, while Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland was in El Salvador asking for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported there in what officials later called an “administrative error.”
The poll found that 38% of Americans support deporting all immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. That number is a bit lower than it was in a similar poll taken just before Trump became president in January. About the same number of people are against it, and around 2 in 10 feel neutral.
The results are similar for Trump’s policy of sending Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador.
However, most people disagree with canceling visas for international students who joined pro-Palestinian protests, which has become another major topic.
About half of U.S. adults oppose canceling the visas, and about 3 in 10 support it. This idea is especially unpopular with people who have a college degree. About 6 in 10 of them strongly or somewhat oppose it, compared with about 4 in 10 Americans without a college degree.
