Americans Believe that Trump’s Immigration Policies Go Too Far - Horowitz
Rób Horowitz, MINDSETTER™
Americans Believe that Trump’s Immigration Policies Go Too Far - Horowitz
As well-publicized raids on farms, construction sites, hotels and restaurants have stepped up, making it increasingly evident that the Trump administration is no longer---if it ever was—narrowly focused on deporting violent criminals, public support has significantly declined. Today, 55% of Americans “say the president has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the US illegally, up 10 points since February,” according to a new CNN poll.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
While Americans support strong border security to prevent more people from entering the nation illegally and back deporting people who did so and have committed serious crimes, they also want a path to legality and citizenship for long-time residents who have built productive lives here. Nearly 6-in-10 Americans (59%) “oppose arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who have resided in the United States for years with no criminal record,” documented the CNN poll. As a CNN analysis of the poll results points out, this result “echoes a theme seen in much immigration polling this year — support for immigration enforcement tends to erode when pollsters specify that people without criminal records or longtime residents will be among those affected.”
Americans also oppose related Trump immigration policies. Nearly 6-in-10 (57%) Americans oppose the president’s “plan to build new detention facilities capable of holding up to 100,000 undocumented immigrants” and more than half (53%) oppose “boosting the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by billions of dollars.” In contrast, less than 1-in-3--26% and 31% respectively--support these initiatives.
Similarly, nearly 6-in-10 Americans (59%) oppose the Trump Administration’s attempt to do away with birthright citizenship, while less than 3-in-10 (28%) support it. Nearly 6-in-10 Americans also oppose the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard as it did in LA to respond to immigration protests, over the opposition of the state’s governor. This compares to about 4-in-10 (41%) that support the use of National Guard even if the state’s governor objects.
The success in controlling the border, which began in the last year of the Biden administration and has been greatly bolstered under President Trump, has resulted in Americans underlying positive general attitudes about immigration coming back to the fore. The percentage of Americans who now want a reduction in immigration has been nearly cut in half from 55% last year to only 30% today, according to a Gallup poll. Today, nearly 8-in-10 Americans (79%)--a record number--say immigration is a good thing for the country.
Americans, by and large, recognize that we are truly a nation of immigrants, and that is one of our signature strengths. Our economy and culture have been greatly enriched and continually revitalized by attracting the world’s strivers and its best and brightest to our shores. President Trump’s racially tinged, crabbed blood and soil vision of our nation and the immigration policies he has put in place that reflect this view put our long-term economic competitiveness at risk as top global talent will seek other destinations to found businesses and make scientific breakthroughs. It also simply does not reflect the American values that most of us share.
The president, however, has a big opportunity for a course correction, in which he successfully advances the comprehensive immigration reform that is essential, but has been so politically elusive. It could be his Nixon goes to China moment. Mr. Trump's success on border security has created the opportunity to pass legislation that continues to be tough on the border and deporting violent criminals, but also creates a path to legalization and citizenship for long-time undocumented residents, increases skills-based legal immigration, takes care of the Dreamers, and fixes our broken asylum system.
I am not holding out much hope that Mr. Trump will adopt this approach. It would be broadly popular but would be strongly opposed by a slice of his base and by some Republican members of Congress. Gaining its adoption would require working with Congressional Democrats who would need to supply a good portion---if not most--of the votes for passage. It would also require the president to let go of the hateful rhetoric and false claims about immigrants—both ones that are here legally and those that have entered the nation illegally -- that are one of his political trademarks.
If President Trump is looking to the history books and wants to cement his legacy, however, this is a big swing he could take. It would sure be good for the nation.