More Democrats support mass deportations, removal of criminal migrants, new poll shows

nypost.com

Americans — including Democrats — have grown more supportive of mass deporting illegal immigrants and booting those who have broken the law out of the country, according to a new poll.

The survey found that some 80% of voters supported “deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes” — a five-point jump from April when just 75% of those polled favored giving the “worst of their worst” a one-way ticket out of the US, a new Harvard/Harris a new Harvard University/Harris poll shows.

Guatemalan migrants, dressed in tracksuits, walk in a line across an airport tarmac after being deported from the United States. — Americans across the political spectrum have become increasingly supportive of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, according to a new Harvard/Harris poll. REUTERS

The uptick since April was seen across party lines, and was most pronounced among Democrats, many of whom have vehemently opposed President Trump’s nationwide illegal immigration crackdown.

According to the poll, 71% of Democrats now support deporting criminal migrants, compared to 63% in April — an 8-point increase in just one month.

Republican support held steady but still inched up from 89% in April to 90% in May, and the proportion of independents in favor jumped from 73% in April to 79% a month later.

As for deporting any immigrant in the country illegally, 56% of polled voters expressed support, a modest 1% increase since the poll was conducted in April. However, the rise in support takes an interesting turn when broken down by party affiliation.

Among Democrats, 37% are now in favor, a four-point increase from 33% who said the same in April. This ties independents, whose support of deporting all illegal immigrants climbed from 49% in April to 53% in May.

Donald Trump speaking and gesturing in the Oval Office, with several people standing around him. — President Trump has prioritized cracking down on illegal immigration since the start of his second term. AFP via Getty Images

An ICE officer with "POLICE ICE" on their vest escorts a handcuffed person in red pants and a white shirt. — Even Democrats have become more in favor, both of deporting illegal immigrant criminals and mass deporting anyone in the country illegally. The White House/TikTok

Perhaps most surprisingly, the proportion of Republicans who expressed support for such a deportation plan actually fell from 80% support in April to 77% in May.

The poll was conducted for the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University by The Harris Poll and Harris X, which surveyed 1,725 registered voters between May 29 and 30. The margin of error is +/-2.4 points.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US or been deported since President Trump took office.

Of those, 2.2 million opted to self-deport through a program that allows migrants to turn themselves in via a DHS app in return for a cash stipend and free flight home.

Another 900,000 have been deported since Jan. 20, 2025, and as of May DHS has arrested 900,000 migrants in the US illegally, according to agency figures.