Most support Trump immigration goal, but say approach goes too far: Survey

Most Americans support President Trump’s immigration goals, but they argued the administration’s approach is overreaching, according to a new survey.

The Wall Street Journal poll, released Monday, found that 62 percent of U.S. adults said they are supportive of the administration’s deportation of migrants who are in the country illegally. 

Despite the support, many respondents were against two approaches the administration has taken to facilitate Trump’s robust crackdown on illegal immigration: mass deportation without due process and deporting immigrants to jails in countries other than where they are from. Both approaches received 58 percent opposition, the survey shows.

Close to 60 percent of independents said the White House has gone too far in deporting migrants without granting them a hearing or sending them back without evidence that they are in the U.S. illegally. 

GOP voters were strongly supportive of Trump’s immigration policies, with 90 percent of them being fully on board. Just 11 percent of Republicans said the administration has gone too far, according to the poll. 

Around 75 percent of GOP voters also signaled support for deporting migrants without giving them a chance to appear before a judge or sit for a court hearing. Among all American respondents, the support was at around 39 percent, the poll revealed.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 62 percent, said the administration is deporting as many people as possible, regardless of whether they have a criminal background. Around a third of U.S. adults said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is mainly deporting migrants who are in the country illegally and have a criminal record, according to the poll. 

Earlier this month, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 60 percent of voters supported Trump’s push to close the border. The survey showed 75 percent of Americans were supportive of the administration’s push to deport migrants who are in the country without authorization. 

The Wall Street Journal survey was conducted July 16-20 among 1,500 registered voters. The margin of error was 2.5 percentage points.