Most voters favor deportation but reject Trump's immigration tactics: Poll

Most American voters agree with the idea of reducing illegal immigration

according to a new Wall Street Journal poll. However, they say they disapprove of how President Trump's administration is going about it

62% of voters polled support the idea of deporting people who were in the U.S. illegally

And a bit more than half of voters think Trump is doing a good job on illegal immigration

However, the poll found they don't like the tactics the administration is using to achieve that goal

58 percent of voters disagree with the Trump administration detaining and deporting people without due process

and deporting immigrants to foreign prisons in countries like El Salvador and South Sudan

Just over half of those surveyed believe the government has gone too far in its immigration actions

by deporting people without clear proof that they're in the U.S. illegally

ignoring court orders to stop certain practices and denying people the right to a hearing

According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 60 percent of independents share this view

Most Republican voters strongly support President Trump's approach to immigration and deportation

According to the WSJ survey about 90 percent of Republicans approve of how Trump is handling immigration Only 11 percent of Republicans think he gone too far or crossed a line with deportations

In contrast, about 90 percent of Democrats believe his deportation efforts have gone too far

75 percent of Republican voters say they support fast-tracking deportations without court hearings, while only 39 percent of all voters support that idea

Since Trump has been back in the White House, he's reduced illegal border crossing significantly

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection numbers, there were just over 9,300 encounters at the U.S. southern border in June 2025

compared to more than 130,000 during the same month in 2024. Trump and his border czar Tom Homan say they're focused on deportation efforts

So far, Trump's administration has deported more than 140,000 people. And if deportations continue at this rate, Trump could end up deporting more people this year than in any single year since President Obama's first term, according to WSJ

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com