Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.

These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.

With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.

(snip)

The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies.

Interestingly, there's been a big jump in Republicans saying immigration has a positive effect on the country. Seems like that could be a useful data point to leverage.

[Renew Deal]

1. Trump campaigned hard on the issue since 2021

And he was backed by Fox and many republicans. Hopefully Dems win the house and senate next year. That should reign things in a bit.

[mdbl]

10. only if they have enough to impeach and remove or veto override

[h2ebits]

2. Perhaps Trump supporters are starting to realize that they are losing their farms, restaurants, and construction workers

They are seeing their friends and neighbors disappeared.

Perhaps the horror of what is happening in the country is starting to sink in. . . .

[IronLionZion]

6. I sure hope so

it was never about dangerous criminals. That was BS Trump spewed to get elected.

[LiberalArkie]

15. Conservatives have no empathy. They can not feel for just a random person, only when it effects them personally

[UniqueUserName]

18. Ha! I posted just below you. You said the same thing, before me!

-----had to walk away from my machine before I hit send.

Totally agree with you!

[UniqueUserName]

17. "They are seeing their friends and neighbors disappeared. . ."

"Perhaps the horror of what is happening in the country is starting to sink in. . . "

You are giving them way too much credit in this statement. MAGA do not care about "other". The sooner all civilized people realize that, the better.

I agree with you that they are realizing that if they deport all of their laborers someone has to do the job. Someone on this board posited that the detainees in Alligator Auschwitz will be offered the opportunity to leave daily "to work and for a break in mundanity" to perform the tasks that they had been doing for low wages. The benefit would be not having to bake in a tent in Florida. MAGA are descendants of slave owners. They don't care about the well-being of laborers. They care about assets only.

Good, normal people can successfully share the planet with psychopaths. The psychopaths have to understand the hard, clear, rules of interaction and civility. They can and will conform if we make that the path of least resistance. They will never act toward "other" out of kindness and compassion.

[Lemon Lyman]

3. -

As usually, republicans decide what the issues are and the media then covers everything from the republicans pov. The right has so many of their own media outlets. However traditional/mainstream media does a lot of their bidding for them too.

CARAVANS!
IMMIGRANTS!
EGGS!
INFLATION!
WW3!
GAZA!
GENOCIDE!

I mean, shitler has said the "f" word twice and also said "bullsh*t" in interviews over the past couple of weeks. Could you imagine the fainting spells, 24/7 coverage, & op-eds that they'd have cranked out if President Biden said the "f" word in an interview? The right does so much bad and it all just washes out. Maybe it's attributable in some part to the sheer vastness of how incompetent the right is (i.e. there are just too many f*ck ups to keep up). But it's not ALL that.

[Javaman]

4. 1) the orange asshole doesn't give a shit about polls

2) he will continue unabated 3) he will soon shift focus to his enemies, regardless if they were born in the US or not. 3) the concentration camps will grow (there's big money to be made and is being made) then if he goes full hitler 4) the killings other than just letting them die (as he is doing now), will begin

the interesting thing about fascist dictators, they all follow the same psychopathic path. all very predictable.

[dalton99a]

7. +1

[newdeal2]

5. Will John Kerry and other experts flip now that the polls tell them something different?

Sorry but you don’t change your position if it is fundamentally just and moral. That goes for trans rights (the next big battle) too.

Dems just need better messengers and a simple message to get through Fox News propaganda. Stop defending and go on the offense.

[Hotler]

8. If repugs were real patriots they'd be in the fields helping to keep food on the table for hard working Americans. nt

[ananda]

9. RW media created the "concern" (nice euphemism)..

and now they can't break through the constant barrage
of bad news, films, and photos...

and these are now breaking through to many formerly
"concerned" Americans.

Color me disgusted with the whole rightwing process.

[SpankMe]

11. I don't believe the numbers have changed all that much

I'm no data scientist, but in my experience most people have always believed that illegal immigration isn't a real problem.

The higher anti-immigration numbers from before are - in my opinion - the product of media cherry-picking (so they could promote the horserace rubric and sell clicks) and right-wing propaganda, using the imagery of the crowded border to generate rage.

I think the ICE raids are starting to get people mad. I've been mad since the very first one. But news about the Alligator Auschwitz is starting to get to people.

Also, it's shocking and sad to me that even 21% of Hispanics approve of Trump's immigration policy. I wonder what percentage of Jews approved of Hitler's "immigration policy"? Whatever that number was, Hispanics' take on Trump's policies today should be about the same.

[Mr. Joe Steel]

12. Trump shined a light on immigration.

We all got a good look and decided it wasn't so bad. Why would we? The immigrants walked through hell to take a bad job. We have to admire them for that.

[William Seger]

13. The uptick reacted the propaganda; the downtick reacted to the truth (nt)

[Lucky Luciano]

14. The white working class from my high school are still absolutely in love with fuckface.

They have unlimited admiration for him and his policies.

They want ICE to get even more aggressive.

Same high school AOC graduated from (and Bekah Mercer and Dan Scavino…blech!).

[Martin68]

16. So this is the upside of Trump's unconstitutional and immoral approach to immigration control.

I hope it is strongly expressed in the mid-term elections.

[Richard D]

19. I'm still waiting . . .

. . . for the taco truck on every corner.

[LudwigPastorius]

20. Hmm...I read posts here just yesterday about...

how Democrats need to pivot to a more “get tough” immigration policy if they want to win elections.

Guess not, hunh?

[DV1]

21. Remember that 'polls'

are not immune from being used to make bullshit smell like roses.

[bronxiteforever]

22. American concerns may be be lessened but

the consequences of this “concern”, with the use of concentration camps and all the horrors we have read about, will haunt the economic, international, diplomatic, scientific and cultural futures of the USA.

Most Americans don’t believe secondary consequences apply to them. We are “exceptional”. Alas, we and so many innocents will pay the price for the right’s belief in fairy tales.

[Mr. Sparkle]

23. I have a feeling, that the right wing propaganda media may have stopped talking about this since chump got into office

[Ping Tung]

24. Uh-oh. People are beginning to realize that "Illegal aliens" are just working people rather than scary Bogeymen.

[Passages]

25. I would hope so, as a government we look like a bunch of disgusting thug racists.

[0rganism]

26. Well, that's nice. Now prepare to enjoy the remaining 3.5 years of nazification y'all voted for.

I have yet to see electoral evidence that we're capable of learning anything from this catastrophic nightmare of a "presidency".

[Dawson Leery]

27. When they start to feel the effects of this militant anti-immigrant rage...

[al bupp]

28. I'm going say as plainly as possible

The U.S. absolutely needs immigrants, particularly young adults, in order to fix its looming demographic bubble embodied by the Boomer generation. This (along with cap reform) is how we fix Social Security. There are also many other reasons both economic and humanitarian. I wish that public figures would make this argument more frequently and more forcefully. It isn't just framing, it's an existential truth.

[Justice Brandeis]

29. The people most butt-hurt about immigration are losers in life

They need somebody to blame for their own failures and lack of achievement in life.

Winners, achievers and producers tend not to get riled up about the guy with brown skin standing outside of Home Depot, who may be undocumented.

[Midnight Writer]

30. Emily Litella-"Never mind."

[ancianita]

31. "there's been a big jump in Republicans saying immigration has a positive effect ... that could be a useful data point "

Yes and the jump has been for several reasons, imo...

1. WE Democrats won the messaging.
2. The public pays attention to extremist messaging and rejects it.
3. The public's Internet/tv/reading/local youth have taught them more, alleviated their doubts and reinforced their conscience.

It's leverage, yes, but it's a clear signal that we need not belabor the obvious.
Nor do will we have to wake the public up to the damage that's been done in government and society.

So for campaign messaging we need candidates that absolutely publicly pledge:
a. to vote yes to every bill that fixes what's been wrecked -- our own project 2026 and 2028 -- in govt and society
b. to vote to rescind Citizens United if elected as part of a House/Senate majority
c. to vote for a comprehensive election security and immigration bill
d. to legally harden Congress's and the Judicial Branch's enforcement power in relation to the Executive Branch

Democrats must always, always remind the public that Americans' not voting is what got us here,
and that if they're over 18 it's their adult duty to their families and future generations to vote now for a trifecta so that this country re-stabilizes for at least eight to sixteen years.

Thanks for your important post.