Who should America deport, and where do Americans stand on ICE? New poll shows divisions
A new poll in the days after immigration raids in the Los Angeles area − and the protests around the country that followed − shows a divide among Americans over who should be deported and how immigration laws should be enforced.
Regardless of their politics, all Americans strongly agree that people who are in the country illegally and have committed violent crimes should be deported, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.
Nearly all Republicans and 83% of Democrats said in the poll taken June 6-9 that violent offenders should be deported. The gap grows much wider, though, when the 1,533 U.S. citizens were asked about five other situations of people in America illegally.
The most pronounced split − 57 percentage points − was over whether people who committed nonviolent crimes should be deported. Overall, Americans were almost evenly divided.
Nearly one-third of Republicans believe anyone in the United States illegally should be deported regardless of circumstances, a view shared by only a small fraction of Democrats.
Which people in the U.S. illegally should be deported?
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Americans divided on opinions of ICE
When it comes to the agency responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws, public opinion is nearly evenly split. According to the poll, 45% of respondents view U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) very or somewhat favorably − just 2 percentage points higher than those who hold a very or somewhat unfavorable view.
Do you support or oppose abolishing ICE?
The poll breaks down the opinions by political ideology on whether to abolish ICE. About 7 of every 10 Republicans wouldn't abolish ICE, while about half of Democrats would.
Should ICE agents be required to wear uniforms?
About two-thirds of Americans believe ICE agents should be required to wear their uniforms, but, again, opinions swing significantly based on political affiliations. Nine in 10 Democrats say ICE officers should always be uniformed, while about half of Republicans do.
How well should ICE agents be identified?
The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted among 1,533 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of U.S. adult citizens. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3.5%.