Despite what you may hear, and despite the anti-immigrant actions the government has taken, the vast majority of Americans actually support immigrant communities. In the midst of all the bad news, it’s important to remember that your average American is not as hostile towards immigrants as the government that represents them.
Supporting immigrants is wildly popular
The majority of Americans support citizen pathways over enforcement measures
Despite the government currently prioritizing enforcement, the majority of Americans, including Republicans, actually support pathways to citizenship over enforcement measures.
The Trump administration intends to enforce mass deportations and cut funding to sanctuary cities. However, these two goals do not represent what Americans actually want. A recent Gallup poll found that over half of Americans oppose deporting undocumented immigrants to their country of origin, and oppose banning sanctuary cities. A vast majority (81%) of Americans, also support citizenship for Dreamers, which has been under attack by the Trump administration. Even among polled Republicans, citizenship pathways are more popular than enforcement measures. This signals that across the political spectrum, your average American would rather see opportunities for people to become citizens than see them endure punishment for not being a citizen.
ICE under the Trump administration is operating in extremes: the most funding they have ever received, the most arrests, the most deportations, and the most deaths. However, the way they are operating is also incredibly unpopular with Americans, as 8 in 10 say that ICE has used too much force in its nationwide operations.
The majority of Americans support legal representation for unaccompanied children
The Unaccompanied Children Program aims to provide legal representation to kids who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or guardian. This program helps to ensure that no child has to navigate the complex immigration system alone. The Trump administration has pulled funding from and completely disrupted the Unaccompanied Children Program multiple times, and has dismantled decades of protections for unaccompanied kids that had bipartisan support. Since January of 2025, the administration has taken action to end legal aid programs, revive harmful border policies, expand enforcement, and even coerce unaccompanied kids into “voluntary” returns.
These actions are not what Americans want. Recent polling indicates that the majority of Americans (61%) believe that children should be guaranteed access to legal services and support, and 68% support specialized, child-focused legal services that help young people understand their rights and options.
A clear majority (52%) also opposes ICE targeting immigrant youth in sensitive locations, such as churches, schools, and hospitals. Even though the majority of Americans believe in protecting sensitive areas, the Trump administration rolled back these protections in February of 2025.
The majority of Americans think immigration is a good thing for the economy.
In a recent Gallup poll, 73% of Americans said that immigration is a good thing. Despite common myths about immigration being a drawback for the economy, the majority of Americans polled actually say that there are more benefits than drawbacks, especially for filling gaps in the workforce by the retired population, generating tax revenue for public programs, and contributing to the availability of science and technology workers. Economists have been saying for years that immigration is good for the economy, and the Brookings Institute warned that net negative rates of immigration to the US would ultimately hurt the economy. The July jobs report is indicating we are already here as the workforce is shrinking.
What’s next?
With the majority of Americans supporting immigrants and pathways to citizenship, there is hope for a future where all immigrants, regardless of how they got here, are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. Acacia Center for Justice is working every day to make that future a reality.