Memo: Voters Across the Political Spectrum Oppose Trump’s Immigration Policies

Introduction

Since the beginning of his campaign for president in 2015, President Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of his policy agenda. After campaigning on promises to deport undocumented immigrants and build a border wall, President Trump has spent his years in the White House undermining U.S. immigration policy. He has repeatedly attempted to unilaterally jam through hundreds of executive orders, rules and memos, bypassing the will of the Congress and the American people in the process. From attempting to dismantle DACA to separating families at the southern border, the Trump administration has only worsened an already broken immigration system. The Trump administration’s actions and rhetoric on immigration have sharpened political divides and devastated immigrant families across the country.

Despite facing the unprecedented coronavirus (COVID-19) public health and economic crises in his re-election year, President Trump has continued to make immigration a focus of his campaign. While Trump lauds his record on immigration policy at campaign rallies, more than 230,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus under his watch. As he faces a tough re-election against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, President Trump’s immigration agenda is on the ballot.

In a series of October surveys, Data for Progress asked likely voters nationwide which political party they trust to handle immigration and whether they support or oppose key immigration policies including DACA, family separation, and a pathway to citizenship. While Trump continues his anti-immigration rhetoric on the campaign trail, likely voters across the political spectrum reject the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and instead support proposals to reform and strengthen our nation’s immigration system. 

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