Washington, DC — At an America’s Voice virtual press conference held today, pollsters and experts from Global Strategy Group, Third Way and UnidosUS discussed the latest on American public opinion on immigration, including among Latino voters.
Immigration public opinion has changed dramatically in recent months, with President Trump’s approval rating on the issue now underwater and details of his deportation program particularly unpopular. Yet as the speakers highlighted, despite this growing unpopularity, Democrats and pro-immigrant lawmakers still have work to do to earn trust that they can credibly deliver on solutions, including the popular “balanced” approaches that pair border security with orderly legal immigration and a way for deeply rooted immigrants to become citizens.
Nick Gourevitch, President of Research & Insights for Global Strategy Group and pollster for Navigator Research, said, “Public opinion has soured on Trump’s mass deportation plan, as Americans see Trump targeting immigrants indiscriminately and too aggressively. That said, voters don’t trust Democrats on the issue either. Democrats can begin to regain voter trust by showing that they support a new path forward that balances public safety with building a humane and orderly legal immigration system.”
Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education & Politics at Third Way, said, “America is souring on Trump’s handling of immigration, but Democrats can’t take advantage of that opportunity until they restore voters’ confidence that they can be trusted to handle the issue responsibly. To do that, they must stand strongly on the side of public safety while highlighting the ways that Trump’s chaos is making our communities less safe.”
Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Vice President of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS, said, “Fair, firm, and free of cruelty — that is the message from Hispanic voters on immigration. For too long, some have tried to set up relief and enforcement as competing objectives, and the result has been the further unraveling of our immigration system. Latino voters understand these are intertwined threads necessary to have order to the border and beyond. But what they are experiencing is abuse of power, chaos and intimidation, with severe human and economic consequences. As the most impacted community by the deterioration of our immigration system, and a decisive electorate, policymakers would be wise to heed their message.”
Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, moderated the discussion and noted: “Now that America is paying attention to the travesty, damage and cruelty of mass deportation, this is the moment for policymakers to offer a way forward. There is a real opening for leaning into the issue and articulating a vision for balanced solutions that Americans support: a common sense plan that secures our border, strengthens our economy and rewards hard work with a path to legalization and citizenship. This formulation of solutions on immigration also happens to have broad support, including among Latino voters.”
Access a recording of today’s virtual press event: HERE
Background
- America’s Voice polling memo: “Americans Increasingly Reject Mass Deportation, Support Legal Status and Balanced Solutions”
- Navigator Research, featuring polling by Nick Gourevitch of Global Strategy Group (and GBAO): “Americans Look for Humanitarian, Balanced Immigration Reform”
- Third Way: “Democrats’ Immigration Opportunity,” analyzing national/battleground district polling
- UnidosUS: “2025 1st 100 Days Poll of Hispanic Electorate”
