Immigration Still Trump's Best Issue With Republicans, AP-NORC Poll Finds
About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of the president's handling of immigration, even as only 39% of all U.S. adults do.
WASHINGTON — Immigration remains a stronger issue for President Donald Trump than the economy or Iran, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, even after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the span of under a week in July.
Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's performance on immigration, down from 49% at the beginning of his second term. But about 8 in 10 Republicans continue to approve — a slight decline from roughly 9 in 10 early in the term, and largely stable since last summer despite a chaotic year of enforcement actions.
Republicans rate Trump higher on immigration than on the economy or Iran. Republican approval of his handling of Iran slipped slightly over the past month in AP-NORC polling.
About half of U.S. adults say Trump has "gone too far" in restricting legal immigration, in line with February. Roughly half — 47% — say he has exceeded his authority on deporting immigrants living in the country illegally, a figure that has held steady for more than a year, despite crackdowns that sent federal law enforcement into large cities and at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration officers since the mass deportation campaign began. In each case, about 3 in 10 say his actions have been "about right" and closer to 2 in 10 say he has not gone far enough. Among Republicans, about 2 in 10 or fewer call his deportation or legal immigration policies excessive.
Most Americans do say he has gone too far in using traffic stops to find and arrest immigrants in the country illegally — the practice at the center of two recent ICE shootings in Maine — and in sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities.
James Leatherman, 68, a Republican from San Antonio, backs Trump on immigration. "You cannot come in here illegally — you're breaking the law," he said.
About half of Americans disapprove of how ICE is enforcing the law, while roughly 3 in 10 approve. About 6 in 10 Republicans approve, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and 4% of Democrats.
Eric Coursen, 76, an independent from Chincoteague, Virginia, said he does not believe in open borders but opposes the administration's tactics. "It's just overkill," he said.
On the economy, 32% of adults approve, down from 40% at the start of the term and below his first-term low of 40% in December 2017. About 69% of Republicans approve. Roughly 7 in 10 adults call the economy "very" or "somewhat" poor.
On healthcare, about 3 in 10 Americans approve, though Republican approval has rebounded to roughly 71% from 59% in December.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.