WASHINGTON (AP) ā President Donald Trumpās handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he takes to ramp up deportations and target people in the U.S. illegally, according to a new poll.
The survey from finds that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trumpās handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade with other countries.
While Trumpās actions remain divisive, thereās less of a consensus that the Republican president has overstepped on immigration than on other issues. Still, thereās little appetite for an even tougher approach. About half of Americans say heās āgone too farā when it comes to deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Theyāre divided on the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants who are accused of being gang members to El Salvador, and more oppose than support revoking foreign studentsā visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism.
Hereās what the poll shows about how Americans are viewing .
Immigration is a point of strength for Trump, particularly with Republicans
Immigration was in last Novemberās election, particularly for Trumpās supporters, and they were more open to tough stances on the issue than theyād been four years earlier. And even though many of Trumpās immigration enforcement efforts are currently with federal judges, itās remained an issue of relative strength in the court of public opinion.
Similar to , nearly half of Americans approve of Trumpās immigration approach, while about 4 in 10 approve of how heās handling the presidency.
This higher approval on immigration comes primarily from Republicans. About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trumpās handling of immigration, higher than the roughly 7 in 10 Republicans who approve of or trade negotiations with other countries.
Other groups are less enthusiastic about Trumpās approach. About 4 in 10 independents and only about 2 in 10 Democrats approve of Trump on immigration.
Relatively few Americans are concerned theyāll know someone who is directly affected by increased immigration enforcement, according to the poll. About 2 in 10 Americans say they are āextremelyā or āveryā concerned that they or someone they know will be directly affected.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry theyāll be affected, and Hispanic adults are more likely than white or Black adults to be concerned.
About half say Trump has āgone too farā on deportations
About half of Americans say Trump has āgone too farā when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. About one-third say his approach has been āabout right,ā and about 2 in 10 say heās not gone far enough.
Theyāre unhappier, generally, with how heās approaching trade negotiations. About 6 in 10 say heās āgone too farā in imposing new tariffs on other countries.
There is not a strong desire for more aggressive action on immigration, though, even among the people who approve of whatās Trump doing. Among the Americans who approve of how Trump is handling immigration, about 6 in 10 say his approach has been āabout right,ā and roughly 3 in 10 say he hasnāt gone far enough.
Americans are split on sending Venezuelans to El Salvador but oppose revoking student visas
There is a deep divide on whether and how the Trump administration should undertake large-scale deportations, according to the survey, which was conducted in mid-April, while Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was on to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported there in what officials later described as
The poll found that 38% of Americans favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, down slightly from in January. About the same share of Americans are opposed, and about 2 in 10 are neutral.
The findings are very similar for Trumpās policy of sending Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. who authorities say are gang members to a prison in El Salvador.
But the public is more opposed, broadly, to revoking foreign studentsā visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism, which has emerged as another flashpoint.
About half of U.S. adults oppose this, and about 3 in 10 are in support. This action is particularly unpopular among Americans with a college degree. About 6 in 10 strongly or somewhat oppose it, compared with about 4 in 10 Americans who arenāt college graduates.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORCās probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Linley Sanders, The Associated Press
