While Americans in general have for years expressed concerns over a laxity in immigration enforcement matters, the response to the Trump administration’s policies on these very issues appears mixed, according to a new survey.
When asked if the federal government should use local and state law enforcement in deportation efforts, 50% of respondents to the Pew Research Center question expressed support, while 49% disapproved.
Other questions revealed a similar split verdict: 49% approved of having more federal employees working on deportation efforts, while 50% disapproved. Those exact approve/disapprove numbers showed up with the question of offering funds to people who are in the U.S. illegally to leave voluntarily.
Wider gaps showed with 54% who said they disapprove of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting more raids where people in the U.S. may be working illegally, versus the 46% who approved.
At the same time 55% said they disapproved of the idea of opening more facilities for “holding immigrants in the country illegally while they await decisions about deportations,” compared to the 43% who signaled their approval.
One of the greatest opinion gaps was seen when participants in the Pew survey, by a 61% to 37% margin, said they opposed the idea of “deporting some immigrants in the U.S. to a prison in El Salvador.”
Interestingly, as the Trump administration has moved to resume construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, some 56% of respondents indicated support for that effort, a 10%-point gain over what respondents said to that same question in 2019.
The increase in support for the border wall construction largely came from self-identified Democrats, with 27% now saying they are for expanding the wall, compared with 14% who expressed the same support six years ago.
A narrative accompanying the survey results additionally noted that 65% say “there should be ways for immigrants who are currently living in the country illegally to stay legally if certain requirements are met.”
June 19, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
