Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump is losing support on one of his cornerstone issues -- immigration -- according to a new poll published on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Trump's second term, now at the half-year mark, has largely been characterized by his immigration and border security agenda -- issues he emphasized heavily during his campaign last year. He has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history, leverage tariffs to strength border security, and limit crossings.
The initiative has seen an intensification of ICE raids across the country, with thousands of people having been swept up and arrested, including immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas.
The administration has detained and deported thousands of people to their countries of origin, as well as a smaller percentage to third countries with U.S. agreements, including El Salvador, Uzbekistan, South Sudan and Eswatini.
What To Know
A CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday surveyed 2,343 U.S. adults on a range of topics related to Trump's agenda and actions.
The poll found that Trump is losing support on his immigration platform, with 58 percent of respondents opposing the administration's use of detention facilities. Views split sharply along party lines: 93 percent of Democrats said they opposed the detention policies, while 85 percent of Republicans expressed support and just 15 percent opposed them. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Several people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities over the past months, including 75-year-old Cuban national Isidro Perez, who passed away in June at a hospital after suffering a heart issue while in a Miami ICE facility. Earlier this month, a 57-year-old farmworker died from injuries sustained in a 30-foot fall during an ICE raid.
In recent weeks, human rights advocates have raised concerns about a new Florida detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," which was quickly created on Everglades land and holds an estimated 1,000 beds currently.
ICE is struggling with limited capacity and resources to fulfill its mission of millions of deportations. In addition to the $45 billion to expand ICE detention centers allocated in Trump's "big, beautiful" bill, the White House is trying other ways to increase capacity, including new detention center contracts issued for private companies GEO Group and CoreCivic.
More broadly, support for Trump's deportation program has declined in recent months. Sunday's poll found that 51 percent of respondents disapprove of the program, while 49 percent approve. That marks a notable drop from a similar February poll, when 59 percent approved, and from 54 percent in a June poll.
Similarly, Republicans heavily backed the program, with 91 percent in support compared to 14 percent of Democrats. Forty-one percent of independents back it.
Overall, the poll found that public approval of Trump's handling of immigration has declined in recent months. In the latest survey, 56 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump's handling of immigration, while 44 percent approve. That marks a 10-point drop in approval since a CBS News poll in March, when 54 percent approved and 46 percent disapproved.
The poll finds Trump's overall approval rating at 42 percent, with disapproval rating at 58 percent. The poll was published an hour after Trump praised his ratings among Republicans on his Truth Social account.
While his overall approval rating has declined, Trump remains popular among Republicans, with several polls showing he retains around 90 percent support within the party.
The survey comes nearly two weeks after a Gallup poll of 1,402 showed a steep drop among Republicans wanting immigration levels into the U.S. decreased -- falling from 88 percent in 2024 down to 48 percent in June. More Americans also indicated that they viewed immigration as having a positive effect on the country, hitting 79 percent in June.
The Gallup poll was conducted between June 2 and June 26.
What People Are Saying
CNN pollster Harry Enten wrote in a July 17 X, formerly Twitter, post: "X isn't real life. Post-Epstein saga, Trump's approval with the GOP (~90%) may actually be slightly up. He's at/or near his apex w/ the GOP. How? Just 1 respondent said Epstein was the top problem facing the U.S. Cong Dems, OTOH, are at their worst standing with Dems ever."
Stephen Yale-Loehr, a former immigration professor at Cornell University, previously told Newsweek: "The Gallup poll results show that President Trump's mass deportation efforts are backfiring. Americans realize that immigration is good for the country and that we need immigrants to grow our economy."
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, previously told Newsweek in a statement: "The poll shows clearly that the public is reacting negative to President Trump's immigration agenda. People wanted chaos at the border ended. They didn't want the chaos shifted into the interior, into their streets and communities."
Representative Mike Levin, a California Democrat, wrote in an X post Saturday: "Latest Reuters poll shows disapproval for Trump's immigration policy has surged since February. Americans want security AND humanity, not cruelty and chaos. That's why we need bipartisan, common sense reform like our DIGNITY Act, rooted in real solutions."
What Happens Next?
The Trump administration has pledged to continue its immigration policies and plans to expand capacity at detention centers.
The Republican backed spending legislation drastically increases funding for immigration enforcement efforts, likely leading to more detentions and deportations.