If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

Immigration

Most Recent Releases

January 18, 2018

Are Illegal Immigrants Taking American Jobs?

Illegal immigration continues to be a hot-button issue in Congress, but fewer Americans now feel threatened that illegal immigrants are taking their jobs.

January 16, 2018

Voters Conflicted Over Family-First Immigration Policy

Lost in the furor over whether President Trump used off-color language in a private discussion of legal immigration is the issue he was addressing: Why isn’t the United States admitting higher skilled, better-educated immigrants? Maybe it’s because voters themselves are conflicted.

December 4, 2017

Voters Reject Government Shutdown To Protect ‘Dreamers’ Program

A top Senate Democrat is threatening to force a federal government shutdown unless Congress does something to protect the nearly 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to this country as children who now face possible deportation.

October 25, 2017

Fewer Voters Want Legal Action Against Sanctuary Cities

The topic of sanctuary cities has become a focal point in upcoming state gubernatorial campaigns. But while voters don’t believe sanctuary communities are safe, they’re less enthusiastic about taking legal action against them.

September 14, 2017

57% Say Immigration Reform Unlikely in Next Six Months

President Trump has given Congress six months to come up with an immigration reform package if it wants to protect the so-called "Dreamers" from deportation, but most voters think passage of such legislation is unlikely in the near future.

September 12, 2017

Voters Don't Believe Immigration Reform Will Lead to Border Control

President Trump has challenged Congress to come up with a long overdue comprehensive reform of the nation's immigration laws in the next six months, but voters remain skeptical that real border control is on the way.

September 6, 2017

48% Favor Continuing ‘Dreamers’ Program To Shield Illegal Immigrants

Voters are less convinced that illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans and tend to favor the continuation of an Obama-era program that protects from deportation illegal immigrants who came here as children.

August 1, 2017

Most Still Oppose Driver’s Licenses For Those Here Illegally

California, one of 12 U.S. states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, is on track to issue nearly a million such licenses by the end of the year. But most voters continue to oppose licenses for illegals in the state they live in.

July 31, 2017

Most Voters Say ‘No’ To Border Wall

The House last week approved $1.6 billion in spending for President Trump’s proposed wall along the Mexican border, but with illegal immigration at the Mexican border at a 17-year low, most voters don’t want it anymore.

July 6, 2017

Voters Split on Funding Sanctuary Cities, Favor ‘Kate’s Law’

The House passed legislation last week that cuts off some funding to cities that protect illegal immigrants and increases penalties for those who reenter the United States illegally after being deported. Voters strongly support the latter but are now closely divided regarding funds for sanctuary cities.

June 27, 2017

Voters Support Barring Immigrants From Welfare for Five Years

President Trump said at a rally last week that immigrants "must be able to support themselves financially," and called for stricter enforcement of laws that prevent them from receiving welfare until they’ve been in the United States at least five years. Most voters are on board.

June 22, 2017

Voters Want Tightly-Controlled Borders

Voters want to crack down on illegal immigration, and to many, that still means locking down the borders.

June 21, 2017

Voters Say It's Easier to Stay in U.S. Illegally Than Other Countries

Voters think it's easier to enter the United States illegally and stay here illegally than it is in most other countries around the globe.             

April 10, 2017

GOP Voters See Merit-Based System As Legal Immigration Solution

President Trump has proposed moving toward a merit-based legal immigration system that grants visas based on one’s skill levels rather than their family connections. Republican voters think that’s a pretty good solution.

March 29, 2017

Voters Measure Illegal Immigration in Major Crime, More Tax Dollars

Voters tend to view illegal immigrants as the source of more major crime and a big drain on taxpayers’ wallets.

March 24, 2017

35% Want to Live in a Sanctuary Community

The rape of a 14-year-old girl in a Maryland suburban high school by two older students who were in this country illegally has moved the sanctuary city debate back on the front burner. Most voters don’t want to live in a community that shields illegal immigrants from the government, and many question the safety of such communities.

February 24, 2017

Most Favor Trump's Litmus Test for Potential Immigrants

Most Americans favor screening out immigrants to this country who don’t share our values or a belief in our basic constitutional freedoms.

February 21, 2017

Support for Deportations Plummets

Voters have long complained that President Obama was not sending illegal immigrants home fast enough. Now with President Trump in office, they’re worried that too many people are being deported.

February 16, 2017

Most Still See Visa Scofflaws As Threat, Want Them Deported

Most voters continue to believe that those who illegally overstay their visas to this country are a likely national security threat and that the federal government needs to work harder to send them home.

January 30, 2017

Most Support Temporary Ban on Newcomers from Terrorist Havens

Most voters approve of President Trump’s temporary halt to refugees and visitors from several Middle Eastern and African countries until the government can do a better job of keeping out individuals who are terrorist threats.