WSJ Poll: Most OK With Immigration Crackdown but Wary

The majority of Americans say they support President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration but also say his methods of removing those in the United States have gone too far, a new Wall Street Journal poll found.

According to the survey, a 51% majority say they approve of Trump's handling of illegal immigration, including 41% who say they strongly approve. Another 62% say they favor deporting undocumented immigrants.

But some of the specific actions the Trump administration has taken on immigration have not been well-received by the American people.

Two of the administration's methods in carrying out the massive deportation operation were opposed by 58% of respondents, including detaining and deporting people in the U.S. illegally without seeing a judge or getting a hearing and deporting illegal immigrants to prisons in other countries where they have no personal connections.

The poll found that a 53% majority say the Trump administration is crossing the line by deporting people without proving they are in the country illegally, ignoring the courts that have ordered them to stop and denying people a hearing. According to the Journal, nearly 6 in 10 independents said the administration is crossing the line in this respect.

Republican voters, however, remain largely supportive of Trump's immigration crackdown, which was a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign.

A full 90% of Republicans say they approve of how the president is handling illegal immigration, while just 11% of GOP voters say Trump's deportation efforts have gone too far. Conversely, around 90% of Democrats say the administration's actions have crossed a line.

While 39% of voters overall favor detaining and deporting people without allowing them to see a judge or have a court hearing, 75% of Republicans said the same.

Trump has already deported more than 140,000 people, putting him on track for more deportations in a year than at any time since former President Barack Obama's first term in office.

"People were loving when the criminals were being booted," Democratic pollster John Anzalone, said. "But they don't want disruption in good neighborly people being rounded up and shipped off."

Anzalone conducted the survey for the Journal with Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio.

The poll was conducted July 16-20 and surveyed 1,500 registered U.S. voters. The margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points.

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