Trump’s Deportations — And Detentions — Are Incredibly Unpopular

Immigration was once one of President Donald Trump’s strongest issues but is increasingly less so in the wake of his administration’s aggressive — and hard-line — policies.

In general, approval of his handling of the subject has plummeted in recent months as he’s backed inhumane detention facilities and ramped up deportations of undocumented immigrants, many of whom have no criminal history.

According to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted between July 16 and July 18, while 46% of U.S. adults disapproved of his approach to immigration in March, that figure has surged to 56% in July. Similarly, a CNN/SSRS poll conducted between July 10 and July 13, found that 58% of U.S. adults disapprove of his handling of immigration.

That dissatisfaction has coincided with numerous reports of abysmal conditions at immigration detention sites, and growing scrutiny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics as agents conduct brutal raids and ambush immigrants at their homes and workplaces.

Public support for Trump’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants has declined since February, when 41% of Americans disapproved of these actions, per the CBS News poll. Now, 51% of Americans disapprove.

In the CNN poll, 55% of U.S. adults say that Trump has gone too far with his deportations of undocumented immigrants, a double-digit jump from 45% who said the same in February.

And a majority of Americans in the CBS poll — 56% — now think Trump is prioritizing deportations of people who are not dangerous criminals as ICE agents have targeted high school students with no criminal records and longtime small-business owners in various communities.

Popularity of immigration enforcement policies declines notably when people are asked about removing immigrants who’ve been in the U.S. for many years, and who don’t have any criminal history, CNN notes.

Trump’s policies on immigration detention also garner serious levels of pushback, which come as he’s touted horrific circumstances in Florida at a state-led Everglades detention site, citing the alligators in the area that would prevent immigrants from escaping.

Per the CBS News poll, 58% of Americans oppose how Trump is using detention facilities, and in the CNN survey, 57% opposed the construction of new facilities to detain as many as 100,000 undocumented immigrants.

Trump’s floundering approval numbers on the issue point to a potential opening for Democrats who now have a larger proportion of voters highlighting immigration as one of their top issues, according to CNN.