Poll Shows Growing Support for Deportations as Debate Continues Over Who Is Being Removed
A new Harvard/Harris poll finds 80% of voters support deporting immigrants who have committed crimes, up from 75% in April, with Democratic support rising 8 points to 71%. The survey comes amid an ongoing debate over the composition of those being detained and deported under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The findings highlight shifting public opinion on immigration enforcement even as questions persist about the criminal backgrounds of those being removed.
A Harvard University/Harris Poll survey of 1,725 registered voters conducted May 29-30 found that 80% support deporting immigrants in the country illegally who have committed crimes, a five-point increase from April. Democratic support for deporting criminal migrants rose most sharply, jumping 8 points to 71%, while Republican support held near 90% and independent support climbed to 79%. Support for deporting all undocumented immigrants regardless of criminal history was more modest at 56%, with Democrats at 37% and independents at 53%, while Republican support for that broader measure actually dipped slightly. Separately, an ABC News analysis of government data found that only 3% of approximately 400,000 migrants detained during the first 14 months of the Trump administration had a violent felony conviction, a finding the Department of Homeland Security disputed by noting that nearly 70% of ICE arrests involve individuals it classifies as criminal illegal aliens and that many without U.S. rap sheets include gang members and other threats. DHS also reported that more than 3 million undocumented immigrants have left the U.S. or been deported since January 20, 2025, including roughly 2.2 million self-deportations through a DHS app program and approximately 900,000 formal deportations.
What's missing
The poll does not clarify how respondents defined 'crimes' — whether they include civil immigration violations or only criminal offenses — which is central to the broader policy debate. Additionally, independent verification of DHS's claim that 70% of ICE arrests involve 'criminal illegal aliens' is absent from the sources.
How coverage differed
The New York Post presents the poll data in a relatively straightforward manner while framing rising Democratic support as notable given the party's opposition to Trump's crackdown. Breitbart dismisses ABC News's analysis of deportee criminal records as ideologically motivated complaint, characterizing concern for separated families as 'tear-jerking' and framing immigration enforcement as unambiguously beneficial, reflecting a strongly pro-enforcement editorial stance.
What different sources said
- BreitbartFar Right
ABC News Complains: Only Three Percent of Deported Migrants Are Violent Felons
- New York PostRight
More Democrats support mass deportations, removal of criminal migrants, new poll shows
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