Trump Admin Push to Decrease Immigration Has Less and Less Support

Fewer Americans want to see immigration into the United States reduced, falling by double-digit percentage points from the recent peak in 2024 at the height of President Donald Trump‘s reelection campaign.

The new finding from Gallup, released Thursday, continues a downward trend first seen last year, and comes after a series of high-profile clashes between federal immigration officers and American citizens and immigrants, some of which have been fatal, including the deaths of three Americans: Ruben Ray Martinez, Renee Nicole Good, and Alex Pretti.

Trump returned to the White House promising mass deportations of those without legal status, after a surge in illegal entries into the U.S. at the southwestern border with Mexico which began at the end of his first term but only surged under former President Joe Biden, leading to widespread support for stronger immigration policies.

“The Gallup Poll has a useful and long baseline. Recent fluctuations track with surges in illegal immigration and surges in enforcement, typically highly public street level arrests, suggesting that the poll is a proxy for people’s attitudes about immigration control as much as immigration levels,” Jeremy Beck, co-president of the immigration reform group NumbersUSA, told Newsweek Thursday.

“President Trump and Congress can stop the pendulum swing by embracing work site enforcement, specifically E-Verify which would dry up the illegal employment market. That’s a policy recommendation that has enjoyed bipartisan support for years.”

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email Thursday afternoon.

What Americans Think About Immigration

A Gallup survey conducted June 1-15 found that 73 percent of Americans now say immigration is a good thing for the country, down slightly from a record-high 79 percent in 2025 but still well above both the 67 percent long-term average and the 66 percent recorded in 2024. Just 21 percent described immigration as a bad thing for the United States.

Gallup found the decline in support for tougher immigration approaches is increasingly coming from Republicans themselves. The share of GOP voters who view immigration as a positive for the country fell from last year’s unusually high level but still stands at 50 percent, while broader Gallup trend data shows Republicans are far less likely than they were in 2024 to say immigration levels should be reduced.

The poll also found Americans remain more likely to favor maintaining or increasing present immigration levels than cutting them. Thirty-five percent said immigration should remain at current levels, 31 percent wanted it increased and 29 percent preferred a decrease.

A Dramatic Reversal From 2024

The results mark a sharp contrast with attitudes recorded during the height of the 2024 election campaign, when immigration reached the top of voters’ concerns amid record migrant encounters at the southern border and relentless political focus on border security.

“The spike in discontent over immigration was driven primarily by border chaos, not opposition to immigrants or immigration on its own,” David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, told Newsweek. “In 2024, Democratic leadership thought they could blunt those concerns among independents by endorsing restrictions, which led to a historic spike in Democratic voters backing restrictions.

“The sole factor leading to the discontent – new illegal immigration – is gone now. The Trump administration is slashing legal immigration, and its mass deportation is causing chaos in the interior, which is also unpopular.”

Gallup polling released last year found that 55 percent of Americans wanted immigration reduced-a figure that represented the culmination of several years of growing concern about migration and border policy. At the same time, support for hardline measures such as expanding the border wall and increasing Border Patrol staffing was near peak levels.

Republican voters in particular were strongly aligned behind tougher immigration controls. A Gallup analysis released in July 2025 found that support for reducing immigration among Republicans had reached 88 percent during the 2024 cycle before falling dramatically after Trump returned to the White House.

Several polls from late 2024 also found majority support for Trump’s proposed mass deportation program, particularly when respondents were asked about removing undocumented immigrants broadly. However, support often declined when voters were presented with scenarios involving long-term residents, families or migrants without criminal records.

At the time, many surveys showed Americans simultaneously supporting tougher enforcement while also backing pathways to citizenship and broader legal immigration reforms, highlighting the complexity of public opinion on the issue.

Why Sentiment Has Changed

Gallup’s findings suggest that the sharp decline in illegal border crossings since Trump returned to office may have reduced the urgency many voters felt around immigration during the 2024 campaign. Last year’s Gallup analysis found concern about immigration had eased considerably after border encounters dropped and immigration ceased dominating headlines to the same degree.

The new survey indicates Americans continue to see significant economic benefits from immigration. Majorities said legal immigration helps fill workforce shortages, provides workers for lower-wage jobs, generates tax revenue, and contributes to the science and technology workforce.

While concerns remain about housing affordability and competition for jobs, Gallup found the public generally views immigration’s economic impact more positively than negatively.

The poll also arrives after months of high-profile immigration enforcement operations, detention expansion efforts, and legal fights over the administration’s attempts to restrict various forms of immigration.

Since January, at least three people have been killed by federal immigration agents, including two American citizens in Minneapolis - Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti-as well as Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a long-time Houston resident shot by an ICE agent Tuesday morning.

Critics have argued those actions have made some voters more uneasy with hardline enforcement, even if they continue to support stronger border security.

What’s Next for Trump?

Gallup’s numbers suggest that while Americans may have been demanding action on the border in 2024, many are now signaling they do not necessarily want that translated into a long-term reduction in immigration overall-a distinction that could become increasingly important as the country heads for the 2026 midterms.

“Voters don't want chaos at the border or the interior, and they generally believe immigration is beneficial to the country, so they think the Trump administration is going too far,” Bier said. “There's little support for general restrictions on legal immigration, and a path to legalization is far more popular than mass deportation.”

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM.