President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is gaining significant traction in his second term, with new polling showing a significant surge in public support for mass deportations and expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
Aggregate polling released by CNN June 9 revealed that Trump’s net approval on immigration has swung dramatically from -21% during his first term to +1% today — a 22-point shift that makes immigration his top-performing issue.
“It’s gone up like a rocket now versus eight years ago during Trump’s first term,” CNN data analyst Harry Enten said Monday, presenting the data during a news segment.
“The American public is with the Republicans. The American public is with Donald Trump, and to a much greater extent than they were in term number one,” Enten added. “And it’s not just on the broad issue of immigration, it’s on the specifics as well.”
He cited a CBS News poll conducted June 4-6 that further underscored voter support, with 54% of respondents approving of Trump’s deportation plan and 51% supporting ICE enforcement in local communities.
Enten noted that Democrats are falling behind on the issue.
“The American electorate believe that the Democrats don’t have a clue on the issue of immigration,” he said. “Republicans lead on the issue of immigration.”
Immigration has been a driving force of Trump’s second-term agenda, with the administration prioritizing the deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of violent crimes. For example, on Trump’s first full day in office, Border Czar Tom Homan said ICE “arrested over 308 serious criminals… Some of them were murderers. Some of them were rapists. Some of them raped a child.”
Public support for deporting such individuals remains high.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year found 32% of Americans believe “all” illegal immigrants should be deported, while 51% say “some” should be deported. Of those who say “some,” 97% agree that violent criminals should be forced to leave.
On June 8, Trump ordered the National Guard into Los Angeles following violent anti-ICE riots in which protesters set vehicles ablaze, hurled fireworks and cinderblocks at police, and defaced buildings with slogans like “KILL ICE.”
Democratic leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, criticized the deployment, accusing the president of escalating tensions. But federal officials have insisted the move prevented further bloodshed.
“I was on the ground. Governor Newsom wasn’t,” Homan said, pointing to his observance of the LA riots. “So I think President Trump made the right decision deploying the National Guard to protect life and property…It’s just a matter of time before someone loses their life.”
According to CNN’s Enten, the clash over ICE enforcement is working in Trump’s favor.
During Monday’s segment, he said, “Trump is begging for a fight on this because he knows what he’s doing so far is working with the American electorate.”