With President Donald Trump prioritizing the deportation of undocumented immigrants from Day One, Democrats have relentlessly sought to undermine his policies both in the courts and through public opinion. In recent weeks, Democrats, their activist allies, and much of the mainstream media have focused intense criticism on the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who has been identified by two immigration courts to be a member of the MS-13 terrorist organization and sent back to El Salvador in March.
Abrego Garcia has been wrongly portrayed as a “wrongly deported Maryland man,” making him a symbol of opposition to Trump’s deportation policies. Yet beyond his purported gang ties, he is also accused of domestic abuse and suspected of human smuggling. Although Democrats have enlisted sympathetic voices in the press, their demagoguery campaign doesn’t seem to be resonating with voters, according to a new CBS News poll.
“Most Americans think Mr. Trump’s policies have reduced border crossings. Most also continue to approve of his deportation program in general,” CBS News said incredulously, given the dramatic fall-off in illegal crossings since Trump took office in January. The outlet added: “Meanwhile, three-quarters say it isn’t acceptable if some legal residents are detained by mistake as part of that program. A large eight in 10 say it wouldn’t be acceptable if some legal residents are deported to foreign countries.” Fine. Trump’s ICE isn’t targeting “legal residents.” And besides, Abrego Garcia wasn’t a “legal resident” of the U.S.
These results align with other recent polls on post-Abrego Garcia deportation policies, which show a clear majority backing the president—such as the figures CNN analyst Harry Enten cited two weeks ago — and this is what we voted for:
Immigration is “where Trump wants the focus… Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top.”
-His net approval on immigration is positive
-A plurality say under Trump immigration policy is on the right track (unlike under Biden)
-Most want all undocumented immigrants deported pic.twitter.com/5RbgJPjW7D
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) April 17, 2025
