Voters who are backing Joe Biden this fall and those who back Donald Trump express sharply contrasting views about immigration.
In part, this reflects long-standing gaps between Republicans and Democrats over how much of a problem illegal immigration is for the country, and recent differences in views about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump and Biden supporters also diverge over the overarching question of whether the U.S. being open to people from all over the world is a core part of the nation’s identity, and the degree to which they are comfortable or uncomfortable when languages other than English are spoken in public.
How should the country handle undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.?
About six-in-ten registered voters (59%) say that undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. should be allowed to stay in the country legally: 36% say they should be able to apply for citizenship, while 22% say they should be able to apply only for permanent residency.
Roughly four-in-ten voters (41%) say, instead, that undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally. Most of this group (37% of the overall public) says that there should be a national effort to deport those who are undocumented.
Voters who support Trump and Biden are largely on different sides of this issue:
- Roughly six-in-ten Trump supporters (63%) say there should be a national effort to deport undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. Just 11% of Biden supporters hold this view.
- By contrast, Biden supporters overwhelmingly (85%) say undocumented immigrants should be eligible to stay legally if certain requirements are met – including 56% who say this should include a path to applying for citizenship. About a third of Trump supporters (32%) say undocumented immigrants should be eligible for legal status, including just 15% saying there should be a way for them to apply for citizenship.
Changing views on how the country should handle undocumented immigrants
Over the past several years, Americans have become more likely to say that undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. should not be allowed to stay in the country legally.
While a 59% majority of voters say that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. legally, this is a substantial drop compared with recent years. In June of 2020, 74% of voters said that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay legally.
Republican vs. Democratic voters
- Today, about two-thirds of Republican and Republican-leaning voters (66%) say undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally. This is up from 54% in April 2021 and 42% four years ago.
- Democratic voters have also become somewhat more likely to say that undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to stay legally. While just 16% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters now say this, that is up from 9% in 2020.
Increasing shares favor a national deportation effort
Since 2021, the share of voters who favor a national effort by law enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. has increased by 11 percentage points, from 26% to 37%.
A majority of Republican voters (63%) now favor a national deportation effort, up from about half (49%) three years ago. About one-in-ten Democratic voters (11%) favor this, up 5 points over the same period.
Demographic differences in immigration views within Biden and Trump coalitions
There are substantial demographic differences in views of immigration among Trump supporters.
Hispanic voters who support Donald Trump are about twice as likely as White Trump supporters to say that there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally if they meet certain requirements.
And nearly half of Hispanic Trump supporters (46%) say that America’s openness to people from all over the world is essential to who we are as a nation, compared with 32% of White Trump supporters.
Roughly half of Trump supporters ages 18 to 34 (51%) say there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay legally. In other age groups – particularly those 50 and older – smaller shares say this.
About half of Trump supporters under 35 (49%) say America’s openness to people from all over the world is essential to the national identity, compared with far smaller shares of Trump supporters in older age groups.
Across racial and ethnic groups as well as age groups, at least three-quarters of Biden supporters express attitudes supportive of immigration on both questions. However, these views are somewhat less widespread among Black Biden supporters than among Biden supporters in other racial and ethnic groups.
Attitudes toward hearing other languages in public places
Trump supporters
- 74% of Hispanic Trump supporters say they are comfortable with people in their communities speaking a language other than English. A far smaller share of White Trump supporters say this (48%).
- 69% of Trump supporters under 50 say they’re comfortable hearing a language other than English in their community. That compares with 43% of Trump supporters 50 and older.
Biden supporters
- Large majorities of Biden supporters across racial and ethnic groups say they are comfortable hearing languages other than English, though Hispanic Biden supporters are most likely, and Black Biden supporters least likely, to say they are comfortable with this.
- 92% of Biden supporters under 50 and 76% of those 50 and older express comfort with hearing languages other than English in public places.
