Our new book is The Comeback: The 2024 Elections and American Politics.
Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.
With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
These findings are based on a June 2-26 Gallup poll of 1,402 U.S. adults, including oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics.
The shift represents a large movement in political opinions driven by two critical developments that anyone paying attention could have seen coming.
The first factor is undeniably the success of border enforcement measures. With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, suggesting that voters’ primary concern about border security has been largely addressed.
The Trump administration’s swift action upon taking office appears to have satisfied many Americans’ desire for border control, creating space for more nuanced views on immigration policy overall. When the immediate crisis perception subsides, voters naturally begin to evaluate the broader implications and methods of immigration policy. This shift from crisis mode to policy evaluation mode has proven pivotal in reshaping public opinion.
But the most telling evidence of Republican overreach lies in the large political shift among Republicans themselves. And this is where things really get squirrelly. About two-thirds of Republicans now say immigrants are “a good thing” for the country, up from 39% last year. This 27-percentage-point swing among the party’s own base is precisely what happens when a political movement goes too far, too fast.
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Latinos, unsurprisingly, have demonstrated the most pronounced opposition to current policies. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies. This demographic shift has particular electoral significance, as Latino voters continue to represent a growing share of the American electorate.
Direct from the source. ICE and Border Patrol detain people "based on their location, their occupation, their physical appearance, their accent."
— Congressional Hispanic Caucus (@HispanicCaucus) July 11, 2025
Ok. Ethnic profiling. Got it. https://t.co/HXfsCJng0f
