KFF Survey of Immigrants: Views and Experiences in the Early Days of President Trump’s Second Term

During his second term, President Trump has implemented an array of immigration policy changes focused on restricting immigration and increasing interior enforcement efforts. While these policies have been a frequent topic of political discourse, the perspectives and experiences of immigrants themselves are often overlooked. To address this gap, this report includes new insights from a KFF Survey of Immigrants about their views and experiences during the early days of President Trump’s second term. This survey builds on the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants and a KFF Survey of Immigrants in 2024 which examined claims about immigrants that circulated during the presidential election cycle. A companion report based on focus groups with Hispanic immigrants who are undocumented or living with an undocumented family member highlights the broad impacts of shifting immigration policies on this group.

Key Takeaways

• Immigrants’ worries about detention or deportation have risen sharply since 2023, even among lawfully present immigrants and naturalized citizens, and many say these worries are affecting their health. Four in ten immigrants overall (41%) now say they worry about the possibility that they or a family member could be detained or deported, up 15 percentage points from 2023 (26%). Six in ten lawfully present immigrants report being worried about immigration enforcement, as do about a quarter of naturalized citizens.
• As the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement across the country, some lawfully present immigrants report avoiding their normal activities. About one in eight (13%) immigrants overall, including one in five lawfully present immigrants, say they or a family member have limited their participation in at least one day-to-day activity like going to a community event, work, or seeking medical care due to concerns about drawing attention to someone’s immigration status.
• Amid increased immigration enforcement, about one-third of immigrants say they have seen or heard reports of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) presence in their community. About a third of immigrants are unsure whether ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) can make arrests at “sensitive locations” such as schools, hospitals, and churches.
• Immigrants have taken precautionary actions to prepare for possible immigration enforcement, with three in ten overall saying they have sought out information about immigrants’ rights or consulted an immigration attorney. One in twelve immigrants personally know someone who has been detained, deported, or arrested because of their immigration status since January.
• Four in ten immigrants say they feel “less safe” since President Trump took office, and a similar share expect their financial situation to worsen in the coming year. Substantial shares of both lawfully present immigrants (44%) and naturalized citizens (34%) report feeling less safe.
• Immigrants who identify with the Republican Party have generally positive views of President Trump and life in the U.S., though some express concerns. A majority of Republican immigrants say they approve (75%) of President Trump’s job performance, with substantial shares saying they feel safer since he took office (52%) and that they expect their financial situation to improve in the coming year (40%). However, there are signs of discontent among Republican immigrants; while four in ten (42%) say President Trump’s actions so far have been “better” than they expected, about one-third (36%) say his actions have been “worse” than expected, and one-quarter disapprove of his job performance.
• Most immigrants disapprove of President Trump’s handling of key policy areas and many of his immigration-related measures, but about half approve of his handling of border security (54% approve) and the decision to send additional military forces to the U.S.-Mexico border (53% approve). President Trump’s worst approval rating among immigrants is on his handling of inflation (75% disapprove), and majorities also disapprove of his performance on foreign policy (66%), and immigration (62%). A large majority oppose the administration’s efforts to end birthright citizenship (79%), and a smaller majority oppose efforts to deport more people living the U.S. illegally (57%). Immigrants who are Republican or lean toward the party are much more approving of President Trump’s performance and his policies, but 41% of Republican immigrants disapprove of his handling of inflation, and this group is split on his efforts to end birthright citizenship (52% approve, 48% disapprove).

Immigration-Related Fears and Worries

Worries about being detained or deported are much higher among immigrants now than in 2023, including among naturalized citizens and lawfully present immigrants. Fielded largely before President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport people to El Salvador and the legal case involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia made national headlines, the latest KFF Survey of Immigrants finds that overall, four in ten (41%) immigrants worry they or a family member could be detained or deported, up from 26% in 2023. As the Trump administration expands its focus beyond undocumented immigrants, worries about detention and deportation have also risen among immigrants who are naturalized citizens and those who are lawfully present. About six in ten (61%) lawfully present immigrants now say they are worried about being detained or deported, roughly twice the share (33%) who said this in 2023. About twice as many (23%) naturalized citizens also say they now worry that they or a family member could be detained or deported compared to 2023 (12%). Worries about being detained or deported have also increased substantially among Hispanic immigrants (59% vs. 41%) and parents (50% vs. 32%). Hispanic immigrants are about three times as likely as Asian immigrants (59% vs. 19%) to say they worry about themselves or a family member being detained or deported, likely reflecting the fact that a larger share of Hispanic immigrants are noncitizens.

In addition to these worries, one in twelve immigrants (8%) say they personally know someone who has been arrested, detained, or deported due to their immigration status since President Trump took office in January, rising to 14% among lawfully present immigrants and 13% among Hispanic immigrants.

Health Impacts of Immigration-Related Fears and Worries

Immigrants who worry about their own or a family member’s detention or deportation are more likely to report negative health impacts. About three in ten (32%) immigrants overall, rising to four in ten (41%) lawfully present immigrants, say they worry they or a family member could be detained or deported. Among these worried immigrants, about four in ten (39%) say they have experienced negative health impacts due to these worries since January, including increased stress, anxiety, sadness, sleeplessness, or worsening health conditions. Lawfully present immigrants who worry about detention or deportation are about twice as likely as others to report negative health impacts (55% vs. 30%).

Immigrants who feel less safe since President Trump took office are more likely to report negative health impacts. Four in ten immigrants overall (42%) say they feel less safe since President Trump took office, including six in ten lawfully present immigrants (62%) and a majority (56%) of immigrants who are worried about their own or a family member’s detention or deportation. Among immigrants who feel less safe, about a third (35%) say they have experienced negative health impacts due to their concerns since January. These negative health impacts are more common among lawfully present immigrants who feel less safe compared to others (50% vs. 27%).

Key Terms

• Immigration policy
• Immigrants
• President Trump
• Deportation
• Enforcement

ORIGINAL SOURCE:

Source link