Support for Deportations Shifts Slightly in Latest AP-NORC Survey

A new AP-NORC poll shows a modest decline in the share of Americans who think the Trump administration has gone too far on deporting illegal immigrants, while a small rise is seen among those who feel it hasn't gone far enough.

According to an AP-NORC poll conducted July 23-27 with a margin of error of +/- 3.7%, 47% of respondents think the Trump administration has gone too far in deporting illegal immigrants, a drop from 52% in February. The share that considers the policy "about right" remained steady at 32%. Those who feel the administration is not going far enough on deportations increased to 18% from 14% in February, and a similar rise was observed for the stance that it has not gone far enough in limiting legal immigration, climbing to 14% from 11%.

Support for the view that the administration has gone too far in sending immigration agents into U.S. cities fell to 55% from 62%, while the opposite view rose to 15%. Party lines stayed consistent, with Republicans and Democrats echoing February attitudes, while independents showed less criticism of the administration's immigration actions. The poll was taken amid DHS reports of ICE arrests of illegal immigrants with serious criminal convictions over the preceding weekend.