Americans Have Grown More Positive on Immigration During Trump Administration’s Crackdown: Poll

Americans have become significantly more favorable toward immigration over the past year, even as the Trump administration has intensified enforcement efforts, according to a new Gallup poll. In a record-high, now 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country, up from 64% last year.

Meanwhile, the share of Americans who say immigration should be decreased has fallen from 55% in 2024 to 30% at the moment, with support for maintaining or increasing immigration levels rising across party lines.

These shifts mark a reversal from a four-year trend that saw increased concerns over immigration, particularly following the surge in border crossings during the Biden administration. The decline this year coincides with a sharp drop in border apprehensions and the Trump administration’s renewed focus on enforcement.

Despite the administration’s actions, Gallup found that a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling immigration: concretely, 62% disapprove, while 35% approve. Approval drops to 21% among Hispanic adults.

At the same time, public support for offering pathways to citizenship has increased: 75% of respondents now support allowing undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens, up from 70% in 2024. Among Republicans, support for this measure rose 13 points to 59%.

The poll also shows declining support for aggressive enforcement measures, while support for hiring more Border Patrol agents fell from 76% to 59%, and support for expanding the U.S.-Mexico border wall dropped eight points to 45%. Only 38% now favor deporting all undocumented immigrants, down from 47% last year.

Some of these findings coincided with a recent Marist poll which found that 54% of Americans believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has “gone too far” in its implementation of Trump’s crackdown. Among Democrats, that view was held by 83%; among independents, 59%, while nearly half of Republicans (49%) said ICE’s actions were “about right.”

These shifts in immigration attitudes come amid broader political and cultural realignments in the U.S. population. A different Gallup survey, conducted before the June 21 bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, found a decline in national pride among Democrats and independents, with only 36% of Democrats and 53% of independents saying they are proud to be Americans. In contrast, 92% of Republicans expressed pride, up from 85% last year.