CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten said on Thursday that Americans favor Republicans’ approach to immigration enforcement over Democrats at this point in President Donald Trump’s term.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats have attempted to accuse the Trump administration of cruelty and unlawfulness as they continued ramping up their deportation efforts throughout the U.S. However, Republicans hold a five-point lead on the question of who Americans’ trust more on immigration, which is a major switch from Democrats’ six-point edge in 2018, Enten said.
“So this whole idea that Democrats are going to be able to take advantage of the immigration issue actually doesn’t bear itself out in the polling, despite everything that’s been going on. In fact, Democrats are in worse position than they were during Donald Trump’s first term … They think Democrats will do a worse job on immigration than Republicans,” Enten said. (RELATED: ‘Look At That Shift!’: CNN’s Harry Enten Blown Away By Surge In Immigrant Support For Trump)
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Americans have also consistently trusted Republicans more on border security. The party’s lead on this issue shifted from +13 in 2018 to +15 currently, Enten said while citing a Fox News survey.
“So when you put it all together, you put immigration with border security and the idea that Democrats will be able to take the ball and run away on it,” Enten said. “The polling data suggests no, no, no. Democrats running on immigration may actually be to the Republicans advantage. This is actually an issue that Republicans should be more comfortable running on than Democrats.”
Trump held 45% approval rating on immigration as of Thursday, which is 11 points higher than former President Joe Biden’s rating in February 2022. Illegal border crossings under Biden reached record-highs by exceeding 2 million and even 3 million in a single fiscal year, though these crossings have since dropped to record-lows during Trump’s second term.
Trump largely won the 2024 election on the issue of immigration, several exit polls from the previous election found. Polling from early 2024 indicated that 70% of Americans disapproved of Biden’s handling of immigration, and 68% disapproved of his border management, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
Democrats have called to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and in many cases, refused to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to arrest violent criminals. At the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump called on every congressperson to stand up if they agreed that the government has a duty to protect U.S. citizens over illegal aliens. Not a single Democrat stood.
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