Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress and Blue Rose Research released new polling data today that reveal a massive disconnect between the Trump administration’s maximalist enforcement tactics and voter appetite: American voters want a balanced “both/and” immigration strategy that pairs increased border security with expanded legal immigration and earned pathways to citizenship.
The poll of 12,100 voters, fielded in April 2026, found that Trump’s signature policies are highly unpopular with voters, including a majority of swing voters. Yet congressional Republicans are doubling down on Trump’s reckless agenda and plan to force through tens of billions of dollars more to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol to ramp up indiscriminate mass deportations. Meanwhile, the most popular policies tested are practical measures that enhance border security and increase legal immigration—including those laid out in CAP’s immigration plan, which are significantly more popular than enforcement alone. A pathway to citizenship remains one of the most popular policies even as Trump has doubled down on mass deportation efforts.
Key data points:
- Trump’s signature policies are unpopular: Mass deportation, ending birthright citizenship, and massive ICE funding are all underwater and are among the worst-performing policies tested by Blue Rose across all issue areas.
- Voters (68 percent) support an earned pathway to citizenship for long-term residents (10+ years), including a majority of Trump voters (57 percent) and swing voters (64 percent)—and support grows as the length of residency increases.
- Leading with border security strengthens support for legal immigration: While 64 percent of voters are concerned about border security, a pro-immigration plan paired with enforcement outperforms the maximum enforcement alternative by 12 points.
- Voters want real fixes to asylum policy: Voters are wary of “catch-and-release,” but back CAP’s framework of 30-day adjudications at the border (58 percent support)—suggesting a path for humane reform that still satisfies the demand for order.
“Voters are sending a consistent, coherent signal: They do not view enforcement and legal immigration as a zero-sum game,” said Becca Siegel, chief insights officer at CAP. “Instead, voters see them as two sides of the same coin: They want illegal immigration brought under control, but they also want expanded pathways for workers and families and an earned path to citizenship for those who have lived here a long time.”
“The CAP plan aligns with where most of the country thinks we should be,” said
Debu Gandhi, senior director of Immigration Policy at CAP. “Voters reject Trump’s terror tactics and seek a balanced approach like CAP’s plan that both safeguards our borders and modernizes our immigration policies. When attempting to chart a path forward on immigration, policymakers should look to CAP’s plan.”
Read: “Voters Want Both Border Security and Expanded Legal Immigration” by Neera Tanden, Becca Siegel, and Debu Gandhi.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Rafael Medina at [email protected].