Do Americans want less or more immigration? A new poll reverses Biden-era trend

Public opinion on immigration has undergone something of a sea change this past year, according to new polling.

The latest Gallup poll revealed that the share of Americans favoring reduced immigration has plummeted. And, in contrast, the percentage holding a positive view of immigration has soared to a historic high.

The findings mark a sharp shift away from years of mounting anxiety over new arrivals to the country — a trend that some say defined former President Joe Biden’s tenure, when the U.S. saw a surge in illegal immigration.

They also coincide with President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, resulting in record-low border crossings.

Here is a breakdown of the findings.

Fewer favor less immigration

In the survey — which sampled 1,402 U.S. adults June 2-26 — 30% of respondents said immigration should be decreased. This marks a 25-point drop from 2024, when 55% said it should be reduced. The figure is also lower than those recorded in 2023 (41%) and 2022 (38%), and it is now on par with the 31% recorded in 2021.

Meanwhile, 38% said they want immigration to be kept at current levels, and 26% said it should be increased. Both figures rose about 10 percentage points compared to last year.

When broken down by partisan affiliation, the biggest shift came among Republicans, 48% of whom want immigration decreased, which is down from 88% in 2024. Meanwhile, 16% of Democrats said they’d like to see immigration reduced, down from 28% last year.

All-time high view immigration positively

The survey, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points, also found that 79% of respondents view immigration as a good thing for the country, marking a 15-point increase from 2024 and resulting in the highest share measured since 2001.

By comparison, 17% view it as a bad thing, marking a 15-point decline from last year and yielding the lowest share recorded in 24 years.

The latest shift is largely attributed to an attitude change among Republicans, 64% of whom now view immigration as a good thing, up from 39% in 2024.

The overwhelming majority of Democrats, 91%, now view immigration positively. This is up slightly from 86% last year.

Enforcement, citizenship and Trump approval

Support has also declined for deporting undocumented immigrants, with 38% favoring this compared to 47% last year.

Similarly, fewer Americans now want to bolster enforcement mechanisms. A majority, 59%, support adding more Border Patrol agents, marking a 17-point from 76% last year.

In contrast, 78% now favor a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. This is up from 70% in 2024.

Additionally, respondents gave Trump poor marks when it came to his handling of immigration, with 35% approving of his actions and 62% disapproving. On this question, there was a striking partisan divide: 85% of Republicans said they approved of Trump’s immigration record, while just 2% of Democrats said the same.

What’s causing the shift?

There are two major factors driving the recent shift in views on immigration, John Feehery, a Republican strategist, told McClatchy News.

“There’s less of a threat from overwhelming immigration because Trump solved the problem,” Feehery said. “Trump in many ways is a victim of his overwhelming success.”

To his point, crossings at the U.S. southern border recently dropped to a record low, with around 8,300 apprehensions in February, compared to around 29,000 in January, the month Trump took office, according to Axios.

“By the same token, there’s a little bit of a backlash to some of the enforcement activities,” Feehery said.

Among Trump’s more controversial enforcement actions were deporting hundreds of migrants to a high security prison in El Salvador and his promotion of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a state-run migrant detention center in Florida.

The new center, which Trump toured in July, has been criticized for inadequate conditions, including non-functioning toilets and extreme heat, according to the Miami Herald.

Matthew McDermott, a Democratic strategist, said the effect of the president’s “draconian approach” cannot be understated.

“These numbers are a clear rebuke of Trump’s extreme immigration agenda,” McDermott told McClatchy News. “People didn’t sign up for cruelty or chaos. They were looking for competence on everyday issues, not an anti-immigrant crusade.”

This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Do Americans want less or more immigration? A new poll reverses Biden-era trend."