A new poll reveals a striking contradiction in American public opinion: while a majority of voters support deporting people living in the U.S. illegally, an equally strong majority believe President Trump’s enforcement methods have gone too far—and are fundamentally unfair.
Table of Contents
- Key Findings from the Times/Siena Poll
- What Voters Really Think About Deportation
- Trump’s Aggressive Tactics Spark Backlash
- The Conflicted Middle: Who Are These Voters?
- Why the System Itself Is Under Fire
- Sources
Key Findings from the Times/Siena Poll
The New York Times/Siena University survey, conducted in October 2025, paints a nuanced picture of voter sentiment nine months into Trump’s renewed mass deportation campaign:
- 54% of registered voters favor deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.
- 51% believe the government is deporting “mostly the right people.”
- Yet, 53% say the deportation process has been “not fair.”
- And 51% feel Trump’s immigration actions have “gone too far.”
This split reflects a broader trend: Americans often agree with Trump’s stated goals—but not his execution.
What Voters Really Think About Deportation
Support for deportation cuts across party lines—though not evenly:
- 90%+ of Republicans back deportations.
- 52% of independents agree.
- Even 20% of Democrats support the general idea.
Many cite concerns about border security, vetting, and the strain on public services. Laura Lechner, a 67-year-old Republican from Wichita, put it bluntly: “Removing them is the right thing to do.”
Trump’s Aggressive Tactics Spark Backlash
Despite broad conceptual support, voters are deeply uneasy about how deportations are being carried out. The administration has:
- Deployed masked federal agents to cities like Chicago and D.C.
- Flown migrants to countries they don’t originate from.
- Revoked humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands.
- Detained street vendors, delivery workers, and even U.S. citizens in high-visibility raids.
“The fact that they cover their faces up—that speaks volumes,” said Patrick Morrissey, a Democrat from Albuquerque. “It reminds me of the 1930s in Germany.”
The Conflicted Middle: Who Are These Voters?
About 15% of voters embody this tension: they support deportation in principle but reject Trump’s methods as excessive or unjust. These voters are more likely to be Democrats or moderates who still believe in stronger immigration enforcement—but want it done humanely and legally.
Fietta Campbell, a teacher’s aide in Atlanta, summed it up: “If people haven’t taken legal steps after years here, I get deporting them. But the people they’re targeting now? They’re honest, decent parents.”
Why the System Itself Is Under Fire
Beneath the political debate lies a broken immigration infrastructure. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services currently has over 11 million pending cases—the highest in a decade. Legal pathways are slow, expensive, and opaque.
As Arthur Rivera, a Michigan IT professional, noted: “We need change every which way.”
Voters aren’t just reacting to Trump—they’re reacting to decades of congressional inaction that left the system dysfunctional long before 2025.
Sources
The New York Times: “Voters Favor Deporting Those in U.S. Illegally, but Say Trump Has Gone Too Far”
