WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump鈥檚 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 Trump鈥檚 handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade with other countries.
While Trump鈥檚 actions remain divisive, there鈥檚 less of a consensus that the Republican president has overstepped on immigration than on other issues. Still, there鈥檚 little appetite for an even tougher approach. About half of Americans say he鈥檚 鈥済one too far鈥� when it comes to deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally. They鈥檙e divided on the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants who are accused of being gang members to El Salvador, and more oppose than support revoking foreign students鈥� visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism.
Here鈥檚 what the poll shows about how Americans are viewing .
Immigration is a point of strength for Trump, particularly with Republicans
Immigration was in last November鈥檚 election, particularly for Trump鈥檚 supporters, and they were more open to tough stances on the issue than they鈥檇 been four years earlier. And even though many of Trump鈥檚 immigration enforcement efforts are currently with federal judges, it鈥檚 remained an issue of relative strength in the court of public opinion.
Similar to , nearly half of Americans approve of Trump鈥檚 immigration approach, while about 4 in 10 approve of how he鈥檚 handling the presidency.
This higher approval on immigration comes primarily from Republicans. About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump鈥檚 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 Trump鈥檚 approach. About 4 in 10 independents and only about 2 in 10 Democrats approve of Trump on immigration.
Relatively few Americans are concerned they鈥檒l know someone who is directly affected by increased immigration enforcement, according to the poll. About 2 in 10 Americans say they are 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� concerned that they or someone they know will be directly affected.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry they鈥檒l be affected, and Hispanic adults are more likely than white or Black adults to be concerned.
About half say Trump has 鈥榞one too far鈥� on deportations
About half of Americans say Trump has 鈥済one too far鈥� when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. About one-third say his approach has been 鈥渁bout right,鈥� and about 2 in 10 say he鈥檚 not gone far enough.
They鈥檙e unhappier, generally, with how he鈥檚 approaching trade negotiations. About 6 in 10 say he鈥檚 鈥済one too far鈥� 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 what鈥檚 Trump doing. Among the Americans who approve of how Trump is handling immigration, about 6 in 10 say his approach has been 鈥渁bout right,鈥� and roughly 3 in 10 say he hasn鈥檛 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 Trump鈥檚 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 students鈥� 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 aren鈥檛 college graduates.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 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
