A new poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that only 39 percent of Americans approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration, marking a 10-point drop since the start of his second term. Meanwhile, 58 percent of respondents disapprove of his immigration policies.

Republican approval for Trump’s immigration approach has also declined, falling from 88 percent to 81 percent since the beginning of his second term. Independents and Democrats expressed lower approval rates at the start of the term, at 29 percent and 7 percent respectively.

Nearly half of those surveyed believe Trump has gone too far in restricting legal immigration, with 47 percent saying the president has exceeded his authority in deporting immigrants without permanent legal status already residing in the U.S. About 30 percent feel his actions are "about right," while 20 percent think he has not gone far enough.

The poll also highlights public opinion on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with roughly half of Americans "strongly" or "somewhat" disapproving of ICE tactics, and only about 30 percent expressing approval.

This disapproval comes amid over a year of federal immigration crackdowns in Democratic cities such as Los Angeles and Minneapolis, which have been linked to at least 10 deaths involving federal immigration enforcement officers.

ICE recently announced it launched operations in New York City, President Trump’s birthplace, beginning last week in Queens. In response, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), a longtime critic of ICE, called for the agency’s abolition following the shooting death of a Mexican immigrant in Houston last month.

Sources