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Emigration and immigration

Americans Divided on Trump's Immigration Enforcement and Use of Military Force

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A new survey conducted after President Trump deployed National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against ramped-up immigration enforcement reveals that more Americans do not approve of either move. The poll shows that while there is broad support for increasing the pace of deportations for people not in the United States legally, a significant majority of Americans have a negative view of Trump's response to the protests, with 50 percent disapproving of the administration's actions compared to 35 percent who approve.

Key Takeaways:

  • 49 percent of Americans agree that Trump's recent efforts to carry out mass arrests of migrants in urban centers have gone too far.
  • 40 percent of respondents say they have not.
  • 49 percent of Americans say Trump should not push for arrests of local officials who push back against federal immigration enforcement.
  • 35 percent say the administration should arrest defiant officials.
  • The survey reveals that Americans have a dim view of the protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities in response to the anti-immigrant raids, with 46 percent saying the protests have gone too far.
  • However, Americans also support Trump's use of the military to bring order to violent protests by a narrow margin, with 48 percent agreeing and 41 percent disagreeing.
  • The survey comes as the first 200 U.S. Marines out of a battalion of 700 arrived in Los Angeles to join National Guard troops already deployed to the city by the Trump administration.

Statistics:

  • 1,136 American adults were surveyed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
  • 50 percent of American adults do not approve of the administration's response to the protests, compared to 35 percent who approve.
  • 49 percent of respondents say Trump has gone too far with recent efforts to carry out mass arrests of migrants in urban centers.
  • 46 percent said the protests have gone too far.
  • 49 percent of Americans believe Trump should not push for arrests of local officials who push back against federal immigration enforcement.
  • 48 percent of Americans support Trump's use of the military to bring order to violent protests, compared to 41 percent who disagree.

Sources:

  • Reuters/Ipsos poll
  • Trump administration's deployment of National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom's lawsuit to block Trump's use of the National Guard
  • U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer's ruling that Trump's action was "illegal" and violated the Tenth Amendment
  • 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to allow Trump to retain temporary control of the Guard pending a more comprehensive hearing
  • Additional protests against the ongoing workplace raids and the "No Kings" movement

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