by Rebeka Zeljko
The majority of voters support mass deportations of illegal immigrants, a policy former President Donald Trump has vowed to implement, according to a Scripps News/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
A policy of mass deportations, which has been championed by Trump in his campaign for the presidency, got 54% of support among voters, including 86% of Republicans, 58% of independents and 25% of Democrats, according to the poll. Immigration remains a priority for 39% of voters, second only to inflation, which 57% of voters say is their top issue going into November.
Trump holds a ten-point advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris when it comes to handling immigration, according to the poll.
Under Harris, who had previously been dubbed the Border Czar in the Biden administration, there have been over 10 million nationwide migrant encounters, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Across the Southern Border alone, there have been over 8 million migrant encounters under the Biden-Harris administration.
In contrast, Trump has repeatedly advocated for the mass deportation of illegal migrants. In the wake of Laken Riley’s death, which was allegedly perpetrated by an illegal immigrant, Trump vowed to implement the “largest deportation operation” of those in the country illegally in American history.
“Crooked Joe Biden’s Border INVASION is destroying our country and killing our citizens!” Trump said in a Truth Social post from February. “The horrible murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia should have NEVER happened! The monster who took her life illegally entered our Country in 2022…and then was released AGAIN by Radical Democrats in New York after injuring a CHILD!!”
“When I am your President, we will immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History!” Trump continued. “May God Bless Laken Riley and her family!!! Our prayers are with you!”
Roughly half of Americans also said they’re concerned about illegal immigrants voting in the 2024 election, according to the poll. Most Republicans, 83%, reported this concern, along with 46% of independents and 24% of Democrats.
The House passed a bill in July known as the SAVE Act, which would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Another Republican-led bill that prevents noncitizens from voting in Washington, D.C., elections also passed the House in May, with 140 Democrats voting against the provision. Both bills have yet to pass in the Senate.
The majority of Republicans and over half of Democrats support reducing the number of migrants who claim to be asylum seekers, according to the poll. At the same time, the vast majority of Democrats and roughly half of Republicans support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. since they were children.
The Scripps News/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,027 adults between Sept. 13 and Sept. 15 with a margin of error of 3.6 points.
– – –
Rebeka Zeljko is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Illegal Immigrants” by John Modlin.
