Most Americans say Trump has gone too far on US immigration: Poll

What the report says

A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, published by Al Jazeera on 2 August 2026, suggests that US President Donald Trump continues to get relatively strong support from Republicans on immigration, even as many Americans say his approach has gone too far. The survey found that 39 percent of US adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, down from 49 percent at the start of his second term, while roughly half of adults said he has gone too far on deportations.

The poll also found broad unease about some of the administration’s enforcement methods. About half of respondents said Trump has gone too far in restricting legal immigration, and nearly half said he has exceeded his authority in deporting immigrants living in the US without legal status. Support was weaker still for tactics such as using traffic stops to identify and arrest immigrants and deploying federal immigration agents into US cities. Republicans were far less likely than the public overall to see these actions as overreaches.

Despite that criticism, about 8 in 10 Republicans still approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, making it one of his stronger issues politically. Al Jazeera reported that the findings highlight how his hardline immigration agenda remains broadly popular within his base, even as his overall standing has slipped. The same poll showed weaker approval on the economy and healthcare, underscoring that immigration remains one of Trump’s most durable strengths while also continuing to divide the broader electorate.