Washington, DC, July 22, 2025 – Support for President Trump on immigration  has continued to markedly decline in recent months. Images of masked ICE agents violently detaining U.S. citizens and longtime residents; business voices highlighting  the economic fallout  of mass deportation; and the detentions and deportations of Dreamers and other long-settled immigrants are fueling the opposition to the mass deportation machine. Latino voters in particular, including some Trump voters, are viscerally opposed to watching the unsparing mass deportations in action.

Yet despite the majority opposition to Trump’s unsparing deportations, Democrats and other pro-immigrant policymakers and allies need to  earn Americans’ trust that they can credibly deliver on immigration and border security solutions. On this point, there are a growing set of approaches that aim to do that, by presenting an alternative vision on immigration that takes into account the political moment, the policy challenges, and where the majority of the American public is (examples:  Dignity Act of 2025, CAP Immigration Framework and Gallego Immigration Framework and my recent op-ed). 

Below are five key takeaways about the current immigration public opinion landscape (with detailed evidence for each of the points in the following pages):

  • Trump’s immigration approval is underwater, mass deportation is unpopular and Americans are recoiling from witnessing it in action
  • When gauged head-to-head, legal status for undocumented immigrants is decidedly more popular than mass deportation
  • Latino voters in particular are hostile to mass deportations and support a path to citizenship 
  • Trump’s growing unpopularity on immigration doesn’t mean Democrats are trusted to handle immigration. Those opposed to the Trump and Miller immigration vision must re-establish credibility on the issue by defining real solutions and connecting with Americans’ broader immigration sentiments
  • The American public – and Latino voters – prefer a balanced immigration approach, pairing border security and a path to legal status, rather than Trump/Miller’s enforcement-only and mass deportation vision 

Point 1: Trump’s immigration approval is underwater, mass deportation is unpopular and Americans are recoiling from witnessing it in action.  An array of recent polls find that President Trump is “underwater” on overall immigration approval:

  • Gallup (July 2025): 62-35% disapproval of Trump on immigration – with 2:1 disapproval among Americans who feel “strongly” (45% strongly disapprove, 21% strongly approve). 
  • CNN (July 2025): 58-42% disapproval of Trump’s handling of immigration. 
  • CBS/YouGov (July 2025): 56-44% disapproval of Trump on immigration (was 50-50% in June poll).
  • Reuters/Ipsos (July 2025): 51-41% disapproval of Trump on immigration.
  • Quinnipiac (July 2025): 55-40% disapproval of Trump’s handling of “immigration issues” 
  • Pew Research poll of more than 5,000 Americans (June 2025): 47% disapprove and 42% approve of the Trump administration’s “overall approach to immigration.”
  • Fox News (June 2025): By a 53-46% margin, Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance on “immigration.” 
  • AP-NORC (June 2025): By a 53-46% margin, Americans disapprove of Trump on immigration, including 62-33% disapproval among Independents.

Recent polls capture that Trump’s “deportation” agenda is particularly unpopular, especially when details are included:

  • CNN: (July 2025): 59% oppose and 23% support “Arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for years with no criminal record.” As CNN polling editor Ariel Edwards-Levy wrote, “That echoes a theme seen in much immigration polling this year — support for immigration enforcement tends to erode when pollsters specify that people without criminal records or longtime residents will be among those affected.”
  • Quinnipiac (July 2025): 59-38% disapproval of Trump’s handling of “deportations.” And by a 57-39% margin, voters disapprove of “the way U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is enforcing immigration laws.”
  • CBS/YouGov (July 2025): By a 51-49% margin, Americans disapprove of the “Trump administration’s program to deport immigrants illegally in the U.S.” In February, the same pollsters found 59-41% support when asking the same question.
  • Washington Post/Schar School (June 2025): Americans disapprove of “the way President Trump is handling immigration enforcement, including deportations,“ by a 52-37% margin.

Point 2: When gauged head-to-head, legal status for undocumented immigrants is decidedly more popular than mass deportation. Americans consistently prefer a path to legal status instead of mass deportation – and are measurably swinging in favor of legal status in recent months.

  • Navigator national polling (conducted by GSG/GBAO, July 2025): By a 63-27% margin, Americans prefer, “Having a process by which undocumented immigrants who can pass a background check and have lived in the U.S. since at least 2020 can earn permanent legal status,” over the option of “Mass deportation targeting all illegal immigrants, with the goal of deporting millions of people each year.”
  • Gallup (July 2025): The same Gallup poll that found 62-35% disapproval of Trump on immigration found that 78% of Americans support citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including majorities of all parties and that an overwhelming 85% of Americans support Dreamers’ citizenship, including 71% of Republicans. Gallup also found that by a record high 79-17% margin, Americans think immigration is a “good thing” rather than a “bad thing” for the country.
  • Quinnipiac University (June 2025): By a 64-31% margin, Americans prefer giving most undocumented immigrants in the United States a pathway to legal status vs. “deporting most undocumented immigrants in the United States.” In a December 2024 Quinnipiac poll, the margin was 55-36% – a 14-percentage point change in favor of legalization. 
  • Pew Research (June 2025): By a 65-34% margin, Americans say there “should be a way for immigrants who are currently living in the country illegally to stay legally if certain requirements are met” instead of “undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally.” Among the two-thirds supporting legal status, a plurality of 36% support a path to U.S. citizenship while 29% support “permanent residency, but not U.S. citizenship.”

Point 3: Latino voters in particular are hostile to mass deportations and support a path to citizenship 

  • Gallup (July 2025): 9-in-10 Hispanic voters support a path to citizenship, while approximately 8-in-10 Hispanic voters disapprove of Trump on immigration. Among the Hispanic respondents in the Gallup survey, 91% support “Allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time.” Meanwhile, only 21% approve of Trump’s handling of immigration – meaning nearly 80% disapprove (the exact percentage of Hispanic respondents disapproving of Trump on immigration unreleased).
  • Equis/Data for Progress poll of more than 2,500 registered Hispanic voters (May 2025): “On immigration, Latinos are still security-conscious, but believe Trump has gone too far on deportations … By a wide 66-29 margin they believe Trump’s “actions are going too far and targeting the types of immigrants who strengthen our nation”, ahead of believing his actions are “good and fair… If some people who are not criminals suffer because of it, it’s the price to pay to ensure our safety.” Even 36% of Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 say he “has gone too far.”
  • Bipartisan polling from BSP Research and Shaw & Co (April 2025) released by UnidosUS, UnidosUS, Voces Unidas, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Climate Power en Acción in late April, found that, as UnidosUS noted: “78% of Latino voters believe it is important to deport dangerous criminals, but that President Trump and congressional Republicans should not target long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records.” 
  • Latino Community Foundation and Voto Latino poll of Latino voters (April 2025): per USA Today found, “around 63% of Latino voters surveyed believe the Trump administration has ‘gone too far’ in trying to stop illegal immigration and deporting undocumented migrants. Also, about 45% of those polled are worried that someone close to them will be deported.”

Point 4: Trump’s growing unpopularity on immigration doesn’t mean Democrats are trusted to handle immigration. Those opposed to the Trump and Miller immigration vision must re-establish credibility on the issue by defining real solutions and connecting with Americans’ broader immigration sentiments  

Point 5: The American public – and Latino voters – prefer a balanced immigration approach, pairing border security and a path to legal status, rather than Trump/Miller’s enforcement-only and mass deportation vision

  • Navigator national polling (conducted by GSG/GBAO, July 2025): In a split-sample question Americans were consistent in strongly preferring the federal government pursue a balanced approach to immigration:
    • 66-25% (including 44-14% among those who feel “strongly”) prefer a “balanced approach that fixes our broken immigration system by focusing on deporting those who have committed serious crimes, while still upholding American values like treating people humanely and ensuring due process as protected in the Constitution. This approach would also allow immigrants who have been working, paying taxes, and following the law to apply for legal status,” over, “Focusing on strict enforcement and mass deportation by having ICE target all immigrants who are here illegally for deportation, with the goal of deporting millions of people each year, while investing in border security, detention centers, and increased enforcement to deter future illegal immigration.” 
    • 59-33% (including 39-22% among those who feel “strongly”) prefer a “balanced approach that focuses on deporting those who have committed serious crimes, while still upholding American values like treating people humanely and ensuring due process as protected in the Constitution. This approach would also allow immigrants who have been working, paying taxes, and following the law to apply for legal status,” over, “Focusing on strict enforcement and mass deportation by having ICE target all immigrants who are here illegally for deportation, with the goal of deporting millions of people each year, while investing in border security, detention centers, and increased enforcement to deter future illegal immigration.”
  • Third Way national/battleground district polling (released May 2025) found that the following “balanced” message received 79% support and outperformed a typical Trump message by 23 points: “Democrats in Congress say that illegal immigration is a problem. They say we are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. We need to restore order at the border and urge immigration judges to process cases so we can decide who can come into our country and send home those who are not eligible under US law. We also need to deport illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes and create pathways to legal status for people who have been contributing to our communities for years and have a US citizen spouse and children.”
  • Way to Win and the Valiente Action Fund polling of likely 2026 voters in key Congressional districts (May 2025) found 53% of swing district voters supported the notion, “President Trump and Republicans have gone too far. We need a functioning border and immigration system, but with enforcement that respects the rights and safety of immigrants, asylum seekers, and American citizens,” while 46% supported, “President Trump and Republicans are on the right track. We need to do whatever is necessary to secure the border, crack down on people coming in illegally, and anyone who broke the law coming here in the first place.”
  • Equis/Data for Progress poll of more than 2,500 registered Hispanic voters (May 2025) found strong support for “balanced” solutions. Per the Equis poll summary:
    • “The closest Hispanics get to consensus in this poll is both in (a) support for deporting convicted violent criminals and (b) a belief that mass deportations will punish hard-working people and tear apart families. Enforcement alone is not seen as enough – as is made clear by Trump’s approval rating on immigration and perceptions that his administration has gone too far on deportations. In fact, when forced to rank, only about 1-in-4 Latino voters want Congress to focus on an enforcement-only approach to immigration.
    • While Latinos have not shed their concerns about border security, it is clear that they think Trump has overreached. What most Latinos say they want is a fair and balanced approach that both makes their communities safer (by improving security at the border to stop illegal crossings and drugs and deporting violent criminals) and protects law-abiding, hard-working immigrants (protecting them from deportation and defending a working asylum process).”

Based on the above, key lessons are clear:

  • Americans want to fix our immigration system, including having a secure and orderly border.  
  • Americans strongly reject Trump’s reckless and harmful mass deportations. 
  • There is a need in the public debate to address the issue through a balanced approach that connects with the broad majority of the American public.

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