Most American voters agree with the idea of reducing illegal immigration, according to a new poll by The Wall Street Journal. However, many say they disapprove of how President Donald Trump’s administration is going about it.
Sixty-two percent of voters polled support the idea of deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally, and a bit more than half of voters think Trump is doing a good job on illegal immigration.
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However, the poll found that many respondents don’t like the tactics the administration is using to achieve that goal. 58% 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.
“This is definitely not what I can say in good conscience is what we should be doing,” Dima Shportylyuk, 26, a naturalized citizen originally from Ukraine, said to WSJ.
Concerns over due process and excessive force
Just over half of those surveyed believe the government has gone too far in its immigration actions by deporting people without clear proof 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% of independents share this view.
Sharp partisan divide over Trump’s approach
Most Republican voters strongly support President Trump’s approach to immigration and deportation, according to the WSJ survey. About 90% of Republicans approve of how Trump is handling immigration, while only 11% of Republicans think he has gone too far or crossed a line with deportation. In contrast, about 90% 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% of all voters support that idea.
“I support him escorting them out… If people came here illegally, they shouldn’t be here,” Shannon Snyder, 52, who voted for Trump for the first time in November 2024, said, according to WSJ.
Border crossings drop, deportations rise
Since Trump returned to the White House, he has significantly reduced illegal border crossings. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection numbers, there were 9,306 encounters at the U.S. southern border in June 2025, compared to 130,415 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. If deportations continue at this rate, Trump could end up deporting more people this year than in any single year since President Barack Obama’s first term, the Journal reports.
The poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters using multiple contact methods between Wednesday, July 16, and Sunday, July 20. According to the Journal, the margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points.
