WASHINGTON, D.C. — Days before Election Day, a new America’s Voice polling memo finds that a multitude of September and October surveys reinforces six key takeaways about Americans’ views on immigration. The Republican advantage on the issue has collapsed, majorities say the crackdown has gone too far, and cracks now run through Trump’s own coalition (full memo here).
Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and his allies sold mass deportation as the way to make America safer and more prosperous. A year and a half later, Americans have seen the results: masked agents terrorizing communities, families torn apart, people dying in custody and on the street, and higher prices at the grocery store. Poll after poll voters across the country are all saying the same thing: this has gone too far. The longer this administration doubles down on chaos and cruelty, the deeper the backlash will grow.”
Based on an array of public polls released this fall, the America’s Voice memo highlights six key points:
- Immigration has flipped from Trump’s best issue to a liability, and the GOP’s edge has collapsed. The new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll finds 56% of Americans say Trump is going too far in deporting undocumented immigrants, with his immigration approval at a second-term low of 38%. NPR/PBS News/Marist finds voters now favor Democrats on immigration 41-38%, a sharp reversal from the 42-30% Republican lead before the 2024 election.
- Cracks now run through Trump’s own coalition, and independents have turned against ICE’s overreach. NBC News/Telemundo finds 22% of Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 now don’t prefer a Republican Congress this year. Politico/Public First finds majorities of both MAGA and non-MAGA Trump voters want deportations focused on people convicted of serious violent or sexual crimes, with support plummeting when it comes to deporting people who’ve lived here for years or have children in the U.S. Fox News finds 60% of independents say enforcement has gone too far.
- The lawless ICE crackdown has terrorized communities, leaving the agency deeply underwater with voters. A new Pew Research Center survey finds 56% of Americans view ICE unfavorably—making it the least popular of the 12 federal agencies Pew asked about. Nearly a third of Latino voters say they or someone close to them now carries identification because of ICE, according to NBC News/Telemundo. Even in Texas, 56% of likely voters say ICE’s tactics have gone too far, per ReconMR.
- Mass deportation is hitting Americans’ wallets, and voters are feeling the squeeze. The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll finds 60% of Americans now call groceries unaffordable, up from 45% in February, and 77% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. These findings align with America’s Voice’s “End the ICE Tax” analysis, which documents billions in lost economic activity in industries that rely on immigrant labor.
- Americans across party lines prefer legal status for long-established immigrants over mass deportation. Wave Polling and Research finds 79% of registered voters—including 64% of Republicans—support a path to citizenship for immigrants who have lived here at least 10 years, pay taxes, and pass a background check. Voters rank it third among 14 immigration priorities for the new Congress. Meanwhile, new NBC News polling shows voters’ priorities have flipped since 2024: more now favor a path to citizenship over border security, 51-46%.
- Latino voters have swung sharply away from Trump and the GOP, with many personally feeling the impact of the ICE crackdown. The NBC News/Telemundo poll puts Trump’s approval among Latino voters at just 27%, with two-thirds saying his enforcement has gone too far. A New York Times polling average shows Democrats leading Hispanic likely voters by 35 points.
Read the full America’s Voice polling memo with six key takeaways here.
