While mainstream news media and the Democratic establishment are continuously up in arms over President Donald Trump’s deportation of illegal aliens and reform of the U.S. asylum program, voters largely support deporting illegal aliens and believe the number of asylum seekers should be decreased or maintained compared to the previous administration, not increased.
Over half of voters support deportation in all or most cases, according to an Economist/YouGov survey from August 7–10. The survey shows a full 24 percent of voters say all illegal immigrants should be deported immediately, while 29 percent say most should be deported with exceptions for those who are married to American citizens or have lived in the U.S. for many years without a criminal record. This specifically removes illegals who came over during the mass wave of immigration during the Biden Administration.
Combined, the survey reveals 53 percent of Americans believe all or most illegal immigrants should be deported. That said, 41 percent of Americans believe only those with serious criminal records should be deported — a position held by 64 percent of Democrats. The majority of voters, however, believe that a majority of the illegal aliens who entered the country in recent years should be deported, whether or not they have criminal records.
Independents narrowly favor deporting all or most illegal immigrants, with 19 percent saying all should be deported and 29 percent saying most should be deported with exceptions for those married to U.S. citizens or long-term residents without criminal records. A combined 48 percent of independents believe all or most should be deported, while 45 percent say only those who have committed serious crimes should be deported.
Close to half of Republicans (46 percent) say all illegal immigrants should be deported, and 40 percent say most should be deported with exceptions for spouses of U.S. citizens or long-term residents without a criminal record. Only 14 percent say only those with a criminal record should be deported.
Democrats take the opposite approach: 64 percent say only those with a criminal record should be deported, 18 percent say most should be deported with exceptions, and just 6 percent say all should be deported.
Even among college-educated voters — a group notoriously aligned with open-border policies — a majority favor deportation in all or most cases. Nearly one in five college-educated voters (19 percent) say all illegal immigrants should be deported immediately, while another 30 percent say most should be deported with exceptions (totaling 49 percent). Meanwhile, 45 percent believe only those who have committed serious crimes should be deported.
President Donald Trump is implementing the largest deportation program in history. While Democrats frame the issue as controversial, polling shows a slight majority of Americans back deportation in all or most cases, including a majority of independents and college-educated voters.
President Trump made deportation a core campaign promise in 2024, and data shows his administration has been delivering. An analysis by the American Immigration Council in April asserted that the administration was deporting between 33,000 and 40,000 individuals per month from detention centers back to their home countries.
In mid-June, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the Washington Examiner that the Trump administration has successfully deported close to 900,000 illegal aliens since taking office. DHS also reports that 2.2 million illegal aliens have self-deported back to their home countries during the same period.
As for the asylum program — originally designed to allow a modest number of individuals fleeing war-torn countries or persecution to enter the U.S. — a strong majority of Americans want to see asylum numbers reduced or maintained rather than increased.
The survey shows 76 percent of Americans want to see the number of asylum seekers reduced or kept the same, while just 24 percent want it increased. Overall, the largest share of voters (45 percent) want asylum numbers kept where they are, while 31 percent want to see them decline.
After Joe Biden took office, he paused border wall construction and ended the “Remain in Mexico” policy, triggering a surge in asylum seekers and a humanitarian crisis at the southern border. According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), asylum claims and border crossings rose rapidly after Biden took office, reaching historic highs between 2021 and 2023. MPI analysis reveals close to 5.8 million migrants and asylum seekers entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.
In response to the influx of asylum seekers, President Trump promised in November 2025 to rescreen the approximately 235,000 asylum seekers who entered the U.S. between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. He also allocated funding to restarting construction on the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
The Trump administration also shut down the controversial asylum-seeking feature of the CBP One app, which previously allowed rapid entry into the U.S. during the Biden administration. As a result of these changes, illegal border crossings have fallen to their lowest levels in over 50 years. The app is now used for self-deportation.
Nineteen months into President Donald Trump’s second term, data demonstrates that over half of voters support deportation for most illegal immigrants. Public opinion also aligns with President Trump’s efforts to curb the drastic surge in asylum seekers, end streamlined processes through the CBP One app, with voters saying the U.S. should maintain or reduce current asylum intake levels. Democrats made opposing President Trump’s immigration agenda a key talking point, but close to halfway through his second term, they have been unable to sway the public.
Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
