Americans Have Made A U Turn On Immigration Since 2024 Election

Leo Migdal

-Oct 22, 2025, 10:23 AM

americans have made a u turn on immigration since 2024 election

Correction & clarification: A prior version of this story misstated poll results. It’s also been updated to add more details about the poll. Americans' views on immigration took a positive swing this year amid President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown, according to new Gallup polling. The share of Americans who thought immigration should decrease – 55% – reached a 5-year high point in 2024. This year, it has dropped to 30%, and positive views of immigration have hit a record high of 79%, according to poll results released July 11. The poll surveyed 1,402 Americans between June 2 and 26.

The questions pollsters asked – whether immigration should be kept at its current level, increased, or decreased, and whether immigration is good or bad for the country – did not specify legal or illegal... The Trump administration ramped up its promise to carry out widespread deportations to remove people without legal documentation in June, sending out masked immigration agents to raid restaurants, farms and hardware stores and touching... He has unveiled a new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility for migrants in the Florida Everglades. The administration has faced legal challenges at every turn, bringing it several times to the brink of clashes with judges who have imposed barriers on the scale and tactics of the crackdown. Immigration advocates protest recent detentions by ICE outside the immigration court in San Antonio, Texas, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just months after President Donald Trump returned to office amid a wave of anti-immigration sentiment, the share of U.S. adults saying immigration is a “good thing” for the country has jumped substantially — including among Republicans, according to new Gallup polling. About 8 in 10 Americans, 79%, say immigration is “a good thing” for the country today, an increase from 64% a year ago and a high point in the nearly 25-year trend. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing right now, down from 32% last year. During Democratic President Joe Biden’s term in office, negative views of immigration had increased markedly, reaching a high point in the months before Trump, a Republican, took office.

The new Gallup data suggests U.S. adults are returning to more pro-immigrant views that could complicate Trump’s push for sweeping deportations and other anti-immigration policies. The poll shows decreasing support for the type of mass deportations Trump has championed since before he was elected. President Donald Trump tours “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Josie Stewart, Michelle Du, Nicol Turner Lee

Yesica was born in Michoacán, Mexico, the state that is known as the landing place for monarch butterflies. Every year, millions of butterflies migrate nearly 3,000 miles from Canada and the United States to Michoacán, where they cover fir trees and turn the sky orange. Yesica traveled the other way in 2000, when she was 17. She was smuggled across the U.S. border with her parents, who hoped to escape poverty by working on farms. She initially took jobs as a plant nursery worker, a housekeeper, and a dishwasher.

Since the 2024 election, Yesica has worked with mixed-status families who fear losing their children if President Donald Trump fulfills his vow of mass deportation. The new Trump administration has said the plan to round up the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without documentation could be set in motion as soon as Jan. 21. Upon being sworn in for his second term on Jan. 20, Trump also signed a slew of immigration-related executive orders, declaring a national emergency at the border, suspending refugee resettlement, and ending asylum, among other actions.

Yesica’s parents, sister, and partner are undocumented. Her children’s father was temporarily detained by immigration authorities 10 years ago. “This issue of deportation is more palpable than people can imagine for me,” said Yesica, whose last name is not being included for her family’s safety. “My children’s father was caught by immigration and imprisoned for 21 days, and my children cried every day. So I personally know what it feels like to have a family separation.” WASHINGTON — Just months after President Trump returned to office amid a wave of anti-immigration sentiment, the share of U.S.

adults saying immigration is a “good thing” for the country has jumped substantially — including among Republicans, according to new Gallup polling. About 8 in 10 Americans, 79%, say immigration is “a good thing” for the country today, an increase from 64% a year ago and a high point in the nearly 25-year trend. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing right now, down from 32% last year. During Democratic President Joe Biden’s term in office, negative views of immigration had increased markedly, reaching a high point in the months before Trump, a Republican, took office. The new Gallup data suggests U.S.

adults are returning to more pro-immigrant views that could complicate Trump’s push for sweeping deportations and other anti-immigration policies. The poll shows decreasing support for the type of mass deportations Trump has championed since before he was elected. Since taking office, Trump has called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to do all in its power to deliver “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” His administration has also pushed to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who... In general, Americans’ views of immigration policies have shifted dramatically in the last year, the Gallup polling shows — including among Republicans, who have become much more content with immigration levels since Trump took... Voters who are backing Joe Biden this fall and those who back Donald Trump express sharply contrasting views about immigration.

In part, this reflects long-standing gaps between Republicans and Democrats over how much of a problem illegal immigration is for the country, and recent differences in views about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump and Biden supporters also diverge over the overarching question of whether the U.S. being open to people from all over the world is a core part of the nation’s identity, and the degree to which they are comfortable or uncomfortable when languages other than English are spoken... About six-in-ten registered voters (59%) say that undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. should be allowed to stay in the country legally: 36% say they should be able to apply for citizenship, while 22% say they should be able to apply only for permanent residency. Roughly four-in-ten voters (41%) say, instead, that undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally.

Most of this group (37% of the overall public) says that there should be a national effort to deport those who are undocumented. One poll found 28% of Americans said it's the country's most important problem. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are both visiting the southern border on Thursday, with the issue of the border and high rates of illegal immigration as a flashpoint between them in... The Biden campaign slammed Trump in a statement ahead of his border visit for "playing games for his own political gain," a spokesperson said, after Trump told Senate Republicans not to support a bipartisan... A Trump campaign spokeswoman, meanwhile, said in her own statement that Trump is visiting "the crime scene of Biden's open border … he will outline his plan to put America first and secure the... Here's how Americans feel about the issues of immigration and the border and about which front-runner candidate would handle it better, according to some recent polling.

This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information. Since the 2024 election, multiple executive and administrative actions have moved U.S. immigration policy toward stricter enforcement, reduced regular immigration pathways, and expanded scrutiny of nonimmigrant workers, while legal challenges and varied implementation timelines have created an unsettled legal landscape. Reporting and organizational reviews note efforts to tighten H‑1B rules, expand biometric surveillance, impose new fees and parole conditions, and propose visa restrictions, with some measures already rolled out and others proposed or litigated... 1.

Sharp Turn Toward Restriction: How the Administration Reshaped Policy Quickly Analysts characterise the post‑election period as a rapid shift in virtually every immigration domain, with an emphasis on constricting legal pathways and boosting enforcement, signaling a coherent policy agenda aimed at reducing both legal... Coverage compiled by advocacy and legal observers lists a suite of executive actions and regulatory proposals that narrow opportunities for family‑based and employment‑based immigration, increase removals and interior enforcement capacity, and recalibrate parole and... Legal observers flag resulting litigation and questions about separation of powers. 2. Skilled Worker Visas Under Strain: H‑1B and Talent Competition Impacted

Americans Have Made A U Turn On Immigration Since 2024 Election

People Also Search

Correction & Clarification: A Prior Version Of This Story Misstated

The Questions Pollsters Asked – Whether Immigration Should Be Kept

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just Months After President Donald Trump Returned

The New Gallup Data Suggests U.S. Adults Are Returning To

Yesica Was Born In Michoacán, Mexico, The State That Is