A recent poll conducted by ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos reveals that American public opinion on President Trump's immigration policies is quite divided.

Voters have varied opinions on sending undocumented individuals suspected of gang affiliations to prisons in El Salvador without trial. Generally, there is resistance against deporting international students who express criticism of U.S. Middle East policies, according to the findings of the poll.

The case of a deported migrant, despite a court ruling against it, highlights differing opinions—42% believe he should be brought back to the U.S., while 26% think he should remain in El Salvadoran detention. Notably, 30% of those surveyed admitted they lacked sufficient information about this situation to form a stance.

Overall, the survey shows that 46% of respondents approve of President Trump's approach to immigration. However, 53% disapprove, marking a slight decline in his approval rating since February. Nevertheless, this remains the most favorable rating Trump has received among the seven topics assessed in this survey conducted by ABC News with Ipsos' support.

Opinions on Trump's Immigration Strategy

The nation is nearly split on Trump's attempts to deport those residing in the United States without proper documentation. Forty-eight percent of participants feel Trump is overly aggressive with deportations, while 50% feel he either maintains an appropriate level (34%) or even doesn't go far enough (16%).

The public is also closely divided on deporting suspected criminals to El Salvador without a legal hearing: 47% support this measure, yet 51% oppose it.

In contrast, when considering the expulsion of foreign students criticizing U.S. international policies, support diminishes further, with only 39% in favor and 59% against such actions.

The Partisan Divide

Political affiliation significantly influences opinions. Most Republicans (around 90%) endorse Trump's handling of immigration, whereas only about one-tenth of Democrats agree. Among independents, 45% approve of his policies.

In terms of voter preferences, 93% of Trump's 2024 voters approve of his immigration policies, compared to just 8% favorability among those who backed Kamala Harris, the former Vice President.

Furthermore, there is a sharp partisan gap over Trump's deportation policies. Eight-five percent of Democrats believe he is too harsh, while 60% of Republicans think his approach is appropriate, with 27% saying he should be even tougher. Independents' views generally fall between these extremes.

Despite overall support among Republicans, opinions aren't entirely uniform: 82% support extraditing suspected gang members to El Salvador without a trial, yet support for deporting international students judged critical of U.S. policy is somewhat lower at 70%. Fewer Republicans, about 53%, believe Abrego Garcia should remain in El Salvador, while only 14% support his return, leaving many undecided.

When demographic segments are examined, 67% of Hispanic respondents disapprove of Trump's immigration strategies, while the views of men are relatively split. For women, 58% disapprove compared to 41% who approve.

Approval rates vary regionally too, with 65% of rural inhabitants approving, compared to 45% in suburbs, and only 36% in urban areas. There also exist noticeable gender differences in these regions.

Age-wise, younger individuals under 40 tend to reject Trump's immigration policies (59% disapproving), whereas individuals 50 and older have a narrower disapproval margin at 48%.

This survey by ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos utilized the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, conducted in both English and Spanish among a random sample of 2,464 adults from April 18-22, 2025. Partisan affiliation in the sample is an even split among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

The results come with a margin of error of approximately ±2 percentage points, with larger margins for smaller subgroups. Sampling error is just one factor of discrepancy in polling outcomes.