As the crackdown on illegal immigration intensifies across the U.S., more Americans are expressing approval of the mass deportations being carried out by President Donald Trump. Those sentiments were highlighted in a recent poll analyzed by CNN data analyst Harry Enten, who shared findings that led his co-host to react with frustration over how quickly voters are shifting their opinions on the country’s direction.
Eight years ago, Enten pointed out, “Democrats held an eleven-point advantage over Republicans” on the issue of immigration. In 2017, Trump faced widespread criticism for his family separation policy, which wasn’t really a “separation” policy but ended up becoming one under his “zero tolerance” policy regarding illegal crossings. Nevertheless, former President Obama deported so many illegal aliens he became known as the “deporter-in-chief.”
“Look at where they are now, though. A poll out last week after Donald Trump took office… look at the margin Republicans are putting up here! A twenty-two point lead over Democrats,” Enten explained. “You rarely see issues in which the American people side so much with one party over the other.” He added: “It just gives the Republicans a lot more leverage.”
The 33-point shift highlights the crucial role immigration has played in propelling Trump back to the White House. True to his word, he launched a series of mass deportations in sanctuary cities like Chicago on his first day in office. U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has reported more than 500 apprehensions of violent criminals per day, with that single-day number surpassing 900 by Sunday.
When host Kate Bolduan pressed Enten on how the figure translated into increased support for Trump over former President Joe Biden’s open border policies, the data analyst responded with a striking presentation on the growing number of Americans who now believe the U.S. is heading in the right direction regarding immigration. Last month, “just fourteen percent of Americans thought we were on the right tracker, according to Ipsos [and] Reuters,” he said. Currently, the figure has increased by 23 points to 37%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who think the country’s immigration policy is on the wrong track has dropped to 42%, down from 62% a month earlier.
CNN’s Harry Enten breaks down the latest polling data regarding approval/disapproval of Trump’s mass deportation effort thus far.
Further affirmation that Americans hated Biden’s USA-last open border policies. pic.twitter.com/x8liBVRbLQ
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“Still slightly more Americans saying we’re on the wrong track than the right track, but the right track number has gone through the roof,” Enten added. “The bottom line is this: Many more Americans are saying that the country is on the right track than the wrong track. They’re liking a lot more what we’re doing on immigration than just a month ago in the Biden administration. They’re liking a lot more what Republicans and what Donald Trump are doing than what Joe Biden and the Democrats were doing.”
When asked to rate President Trump’s performance on immigration, a decisive 46% plurality of voters approve while 39% do not. “You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know that forty-six is bigger than thirty-nine,” quipped the analyst. “Simply put, immigration is an issue that Donald Trump and the Republicans are going to go to the well over and over and over again because Americans are much more on their side than they are on the Democrats’ side.”
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