Trump Isn't Even Popular on Immigration Anymore, Brutal Poll Shows
Three recent polls have practically spelled disaster for Trump on the issue, with Americans increasingly disapproving of the president's immigration policies amid a flurry of rushed deportations.
A YouGov/Economist poll released Wednesday indicates that Americans have soured on Trump's immigration stances, with 50 percent of respondents disapproving compared to 45 percent approving.
The poll comes on the heels of a Reuters-Ipsos poll published Monday that indicated that 46 percent of the country disapproved of Trump's immigration policies. And earlier this month, a Quinnipiac survey found that 50 percent of polled respondents didn't agree with Trump on immigration.
During his second inaugural address in January, Trump promised to 'eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil.' But in the months since Trump has returned to the White House, he has defied court orders, ignored the Supreme Court, and challenged the Constitution in order to advance his nativist immigration agenda.
In March, the Trump administration deported more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador by invoking a Japanese internment–era wartime policy. That gave the administration the cover to deport the men without due process, a critical error that has only continued to mire the administration in more controversy, as it has become increasingly apparent that some members of the charged group—such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia—had never been convicted of a crime.
The administration has since had to admit that it mistakenly deported Garcia, though it has simultaneously appeared unable to retrieve him from the crowded foreign prison where the government is paying El Salvador $6 million to house the alleged gang members.
The YouGov/Economist poll found that 50 percent of Americans wanted Trump to bring Garcia back, while 28 percent agreed with the president's actions.
The White House has said that Garcia 'will never live' in the U.S. again.
'When President Trump declared MS-13 to be a foreign terrorist organization, that meant that (Abrego Garcia) was no longer eligible, under federal law … for any form of immigration relief in the United States,' said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller last week.
Despite the White House's insistence, just 27 percent of Americans are convinced Abrego Garcia's a member of MS-13, according to the YouGov survey.
In a meeting with Trump, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele referred to a question regarding Garcia's potential release as 'preposterous.'
'How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?' Bukele said, claiming that he did not have the authority to return Garcia to his family in the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pitched immigration alternatives such as the 'gold card' that seem to be little more than opportunities to sell American democracy to the 'highest bidder,' allowing America's longtime adversaries—including Russian oligarchs—to effectively buy their way into the country.
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