WASHINGTON (AP) — Mere months after President Donald Trump’s return to office with promises of large-scale deportations, a notable rise in the percentage of U.S. adults viewing immigration positively has been recorded—even among Republicans—according to a recent Gallup poll.
Currently, around 79% of Americans perceive immigration as “a good thing” for the nation, a marked increase from 64% the year prior and a record high in the nearly 25-year trend. Meanwhile, approximately 20% of U.S. adults consider immigration a negative factor, down from 32% last year.
During Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, negative perspectives on immigration rose significantly, peaking just before Trump’s, a Republican, entry into office. New Gallup findings indicate a shift back towards more pro-immigrant sentiments among Americans, which could challenge Trump’s agenda for extensive deportations in his subsequent term. Over the past year, opinions on immigration policies have shifted significantly—including among Republicans, who now express greater satisfaction with current immigration levels since Trump assumed office while also showing increased support for pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
The broader trend also shows that public opinion is generally much more favorable to immigrants than it was decades ago.
The vast majority of U.S. adults say immigration is good
Americans’ more positive view on immigration is driven primarily by a shift among Republicans and independents.
About two-thirds of Republicans now say immigrants are “a good thing” for the country, up from 39% last year. And independents moved from about two-thirds last year to 80% this year.
Democrats have maintained their overwhelmingly positive view of immigration in the last few years.
The share of Americans who want immigration decreased has dropped significantly
In the time since Trump took office, Republicans have become more satisfied with the level of immigration in the country.
The share of Americans who want immigration “decreased” in the United States dropped from 55% to 30%. While fewer Americans now want to decrease the number of people who come to the U.S. from other countries, more want immigration levels kept the same than want higher immigration levels. About 4 in 10 say immigration should be kept at its current level, and only 26% say immigration should be increased.
The poll suggests Republicans’ sharp anti-immigrant views highlighted before November’s election — which helped return Trump to the White House — have largely faded. The share of Republicans saying immigration should be decreased dropped from a high of 88% to 48% in the last year. Close to 4 in 10 Republicans now say immigration levels should remain the same, and only about 1 in 10 would like an increase.
Much of that Republican movement likely comes from support for the Trump administration’s stringent immigration enforcement, but there are also signs in the Gallup polling that Republicans have become more supportive of pathways to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally and more likely to see benefits from immigration that could be at odds with the Trump administration’s priorities.
More Americans back a pathway to citizenship
Most Americans favor allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time, the poll shows.
Almost 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 85%, favor a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, and nearly as many say they favor a path to citizenship for all immigrants in the country illegally as long as they meet certain requirements.
That increased support for pathways to citizenship largely comes from Republicans, about 6 in 10 of whom now support that, up from 46% last year. Support was already very high among independents and Democrats.
Support for deporting immigrants in the country illegally has also decreased across the board, but less significantly. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults now favor deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, down from about half a year ago.
