Against the backdrop of an unprecedented crusade against migrants, the United States is experiencing a surprising turnaround in public perception on immigration, according to a recent Gallup poll. Despite the fact that this was one of the issues that marked the presidential election and delivered the presidency to Donald Trump just eight months ago, support for immigration in the country has now reached record highs, even among Republicans. About 8-in-10 Americans, 79%, say immigration is “a good thing” for the country today, up sharply from 64% a year ago and a high point in a nearly 25-year trend. In contrast, only two in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing, down from 32% last year.
The poll, conducted between the 2nd and 26th of June, shows that the change in perception is across the political spectrum. While Democrats remain the most positive on immigration, at 91%, there was also a significant increase among Independents and Republicans over the last year: from 64% to 79%, and from 39% to 64%, respectively.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, when there was a historic spike in immigration after the Covid-19 pandemic, negative views peaked and were a focal point in the last presidential campaign. But the new Gallup poll suggests that Americans are returning to more pro-immigrant views, which could complicate the implementation of President Trump’s tough immigration agenda.
In fact, support for the deportation of all irregular immigrants has already declined as the Republican Administration has made it one of its central objectives. If a year ago, in the middle of the election campaign, support for this hypothetical measure was 47%, now it is 38%. However, the pollsters point out, last year’s support for deportation was exceptionally high. The current level matches that of 2019 (37%) and is slightly higher than in 2016 (32%).
Likewise, as irregular border entries have almost completely stopped as a result of the militarization and climate of fear instilled by the Republican government, the number of people who want to reduce immigration has fallen substantially: from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. This decline in the desire to restrict immigration is apparent even among Republicans, although they remain the only group in which a majority still wants to reduce immigration even further.
In contrast, support for offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants has increased. Seventy-eight percent of respondents favor allowing immigrants without legal status to become citizens, an increase of eight points from the previous year.
More specifically, when asked about their opinion of President Trump’s immigration policy, only 35% approve of his administration’s management on migration, while 62% disapprove. Among Hispanics, support drops to 21%, 14 points below the national average, reflecting their strong opposition to policies such as mass detentions and deportations. However, the partisan breakdown on this point is stark: 85% of Republicans approve of Trump’s work on immigration, compared to just 28% of independents and a minimal 2% of Democrats. In contrast, 81% of Democrats report “strong” disapproval.
With these latest numbers in mind, along with the strong political polarization in the country, it is unlikely that the results of this survey will cause the Trump Administration to change course on one of its flagship policies in the short to medium term. However, the trends shown by the poll do yield some preliminary conclusions, as the apparent success in stopping illegal crossings has substantially reduced pressure on an issue that months ago was considered critical. With that, and also a possible intensification among Democrats in response to Trumpist radicalism, it is beginning to look as if a greater willingness to discuss more inclusive solutions to immigration has very quickly given way.
Source link
