My Take on PRRI's New Survey: Only 35% Approve of Trump’s Handling of Immigration
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PRRI’S large new survey covers a lot of ground related to immigration, including support for how President Trump’s second administration is handling immigration, the aggressive tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, the construction of internment camps, and due process rights for immigrants.
Here’s my overall take:
“Over the past year, Americans have witnessed President Trump’s dehumanizing, racist rhetoric toward immigrants and harsh immigration enforcement policies. This survey demonstrates that most Americans want a more humane approach to immigration policy and do not support indiscriminate mass deportation, the construction of concentration camps on U.S. soil, and the increasingly aggressive and violent tactics of ICE.”
-Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI
In the wake of the ICE surge in Minneapolis that resulted in numerous injuries, including the deaths of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the survey finds a growing majority of Americans believe the Trump administration has gone too far. Just 35% of Americans rate President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration favorably, compared with 61% who rate his actions unfavorably. Notably, nearly half (48%) of Americans hold VERY unfavorable views of his handling of immigration. By contrast, in March 2025, 48% of Americans approved of the job Donald Trump was doing on immigration.
Just 1 in 3 Americans (33%) hold favorable views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, down 6 points from an already low 39% in September 2025. Favorable views of ICE officers have declined across the board, with significant drops among Republicans, from 78% to 73%, among independents, from 34% to 26%, and among Democrats, from 10% to 6%. The survey also reveals that these attitudes are specific to ICE and not directly at law enforcement generally: Twice as many Americans (67%) express favorable views of local police officers compared to ICE officers.
Additionally, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (57%) agree that the surge of ICE officers in places like Minnesota is making communities less safe, compared with 38% who disagree.
However, while most Americans are recoiling from the violence that ICE has unleashed in Minneapolis and other cities across the country, two groups remain supportive of Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement: Republicans and white evangelical Protestant Christians.
Among Republicans, 78% approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, 73% hold favorable views of ICE officers, and 75% disagree that ICE surges make communities less safe.
Similarly, among white evangelical Protestants, 69% approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, 65% hold favorable views of ICE officers, and 67% disagree that ICE surges make communities less safe.
Most Republicans — but only 24% of Americans — favor allowing ICE officers to make arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, places of worship, and social service locations. Republicans (54%) are more likely than either independents (20%) or Democrats (5%) to favor allowing ICE officers to regularly conduct surveillance and arrests at sensitive locations. Notably, there is no religious group in which a majority favor allowing ICE to make arrests at sensitive locations (only 44% of even white evangelicals favor such a policy).
One of the most disturbing findings of the survey was that 41% of Americans favor allowing the government to detain undocumented immigrants in internment camps until they can be deported. This support is driven by Republicans and white Christians, especially white evangelical Protestants and white Cathlics.
Three-quarters of Republicans (73%) favor detaining undocumented immigrations in internment camps, compared with only 37% of independents and 17% of Democrats.
Among religious groups, only two support this policy: 63% of white evangelical Protestants and 55% of white Catholics agree that the government should detain undocumented immigrants in internment camps. White mainline/non-evangelical Protestants are divided. Majorities of all other religious groups oppose this policy.
There was one bright spot in the survey. Despite the drastic reduction in refugee resettlement under the Trump administration, more than 7 in 10 Americans (72%)—across party and religious lines—agree that “we should provide refuge for people who come to the U.S. if they are in serious danger in their home country.”
Click below to watch a panel of experts—Brian Fraga (National Catholic Reporter), Rev. Angela Denker (Author and Lutheran pastor in Minneapolis), and Jack Jenkins (Religion News Service)—discuss the report’s findings with PRRI’s Robert P. Jones and Melissa Deckman.
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Great work Robby and absolutely necessary. Thank you.