Voters say Trump has gone too far in immigration efforts in new WSJ poll
Most voters believe President Donald Trump’s administration has gone too far in its immigration enforcement efforts and view his handling of the issue as negative amid a wave of clashes between federal agents and citizens protesting against their presence, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll.
When it comes to Trump’s immigration actions, a little over half of the poll’s 1,500 registered voters, conducted the week of Jan. 8-13, said the effort of deporting illegal immigrants has gone too far. Alternatively, 28% of voters said his efforts have not gone far enough.
Trump’s efforts in deploying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which have come alongside controversy, protests, and the fatal shooting of two people at the hands of federal agents in Chicago and Minneapolis, are also viewed negatively by the majority of respondents. Fifty-four percent of voters said his efforts to deploy ICE agents have gone too far, while 24% said it has not gone far enough, according to the poll.
Additionally, 56% of voters said Trump’s efforts to expand pardon power have gone too far, compared to 27% of voters who said his efforts are “about right,” the poll said. Trump’s recent threats of action against foreign governments, including pressure to acquire Greenland, are also viewed by the majority as negative, with 53% of voters saying his efforts have gone too far, according to the poll.
The poll also found that voters are increasingly unhappy with Trump’s handling of the economy, with more respondents rating the economy weak rather than strong.
Despite this disapproval, the poll found that voters believe the Republican Party is better than the Democratic Party at handling various issues, including immigration, border security, the economy, inflation or rising prices, foreign policy, the Russia-Ukraine War and tariffs, among others.
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.
This article originally appeared on USA Today
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