A new survey shows that many Americans, even some who dislike President-elect Donald Trump, embrace his strict immigration agenda and favor a more limited U.S. role overseas, The New York Times reported.
Many Americans appear to be rallying behind Trump’s tough stance on immigration and willingness to scale back international commitments, according to a new poll by The New York Times and Ipsos.
The survey of 2,128 adults, conducted from Jan. 2 to 10, found that 55 percent of Americans either strongly or somewhat support “mass deportations” of people living in the United States without authorization.
A narrow majority, 56 percent, said they believe immigrants strengthen the country, while 41 percent agreed with the statement, “Immigrants today are a burden on our country.”
Support for other top items on the president-elect’s agenda is also significant.
About 46 percent favor imposing tariffs on nations such as China and Mexico, and 71 percent said no one under 18 should be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs or hormones.
“Something needs to happen on immigration,” said Jose Hernandez, 48, of Atlanta, who described himself as a Mexican immigrant. “I’m an immigrant myself, from Mexico, but I waited 25 years. I came to this country legally.” He added, “There’s no control over the system.”
Though Hernandez said he has generally voted for Democratic candidates, he backed Trump in 2024 mainly as a vote “against Kamala” and described conditions at the border as “unsustainable.”
“We establish rules and guidelines. When you’re not following those rules, that’s it,” Hernandez said.
The poll suggests Americans are open to Mr. Trump’s promise of a large-scale deportation operation, to a point.
An overwhelming 87 percent support deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Nearly two-thirds favor deporting people who entered the country illegally during the last four years, when legal and illegal immigration reached record levels. However, the public is divided on more extreme actions, including eliminating birthright citizenship.
Americans also voiced doubts about Washington’s foreign entanglements: 60 percent said the United States should focus more on domestic issues and less on world affairs.
“I really feel that we spend a lot of money overseas that we might not be able to recoup — nor do we get enough benefits to offset,” said Booker Preston, 50, a mechanic in Fort Worth, Texas. “We could spend those billions of dollars here to really help people here.”
The poll indicates a pessimistic mood about the government’s ability to serve ordinary people.
“The whole country is on cognitive dissonance autopilot,” said Tarra Williams, 49, a compliance manager in Mooresville, N.C. “We need a whole governmental reboot.”
Respondents appear divided about Mr. Trump’s second inauguration, but a broad majority expect him to implement his most prominent proposals.
“Like it or not,” said Tim Malsbary, 56, a nurse in Cincinnati, “he did not begin any major wars.”
According to Ipsos, the poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus about 2.6 percentage points.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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