Alexandar Sullivan:
President Donald Trump appears to be miscalculating public sentiment as his administration presses ahead with a robust immigration enforcement agenda, betting that aggressive measures against undocumented immigrants will shore up support. Instead, new data show mounting disapproval of both his handling of immigration and the surge in ICE operations.
A Gallup survey conducted in June revealed that 62% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s management of immigration, compared with 35% who approved—his lowest score on the issue in his second term. Even more striking, 45% strongly disapproved, more than double the 21% who strongly approved. Support among independents also plummeted, with nearly 70% voicing disapproval.
Additional polls by NPR‑PBS‑Marist and Quinnipiac confirmed the trend. Marist found 54% of respondents felt ICE had “gone too far,” while Quinnipiac showed 59% disapproval for deportation policies among independents. Pew Research revealed 54%–55% opposition to increased raids and expanded detention facility capacity.
These figures come despite record-low border crossings and a steady drumbeat of high-profile ICE actions—such as raids on a legal marijuana farm in Ventura County that drew public protests. As Vice President JD Vance noted when advocating for congressionally approved ICE expansion, immigration enforcement was so central to the Trump agenda that “everything else” became “immaterial.”
Yet, public opinion suggests the strategy may be backfiring. Gallup also found that Americans favoring mass deportation dropped from 47% last year to 38% now that enforcement is underway. Support for immigration overall increased to 79%, up from 64% last year.
This shift signals a deepening disconnect between the administration’s hardline tactics and evolving public attitudes, which now appear more sympathetic to migrants even as enforcement intensifies. As the push for deportations continues, the Trump administration finds itself confronting not only legal and political opposition but a surprising wave of popular pushback as well.
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