WASHINGTON — Immigration continues to be a more significant issue for President Donald Trump than the economy or Iran, according to a new AP-NORC poll released on August 2, 2026. This holds true even after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within a week in July.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 39% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's performance on immigration, a decline from 49% at the start of his second term. However, about 8 in 10 Republicans still approve of how Trump is handling immigration, a slight decrease from approximately 9 in 10 at the beginning of his second term. This support within his base has remained mostly stable since last summer despite a turbulent year marked by aggressive immigration enforcement actions.

Republicans are more likely to approve of Trump's immigration policies than his handling of the economy or Iran. This approval has stayed steady for over a year, despite multiple crackdowns involving federal law enforcement in major cities and at least 10 deaths linked to encounters with immigration officers since the mass deportation campaign began.

Only about 2 in 10 Republicans believe Trump has "gone too far" in deporting undocumented immigrants or restricting legal immigration. In contrast, most Americans feel he has overstepped by using traffic stops to find and arrest undocumented immigrants—a tactic central to two recent ICE shootings in Maine—and by deploying federal immigration agents into U.S. cities.

During Trump's first term, his lowest approval rating on the economy was 40% in December 2017.

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