President-elect Donald Trump has been given the biggest mandate on tackling immigration in at least the past 15 years, based on a new poll of voters ahead of the inauguration.
A Gallup poll of 1,003 registered voters between December 2 and 18, 2024, found 68 percent of Americans —more than two-thirds — think Trump will control illegal immigration. That is a larger share of voters who said the same thing before his previous term, and higher than Democratic Presidents Joe Biden or Barack Obama.
"This provides one dimension of a roadmap for a president in terms of setting their priorities in terms of what the public expects them to do," Lydia Saad, Gallup's director of U.S. social research, told Newsweek.
"Coming right off an election, Trump could say: 'Whether you like what I do on immigration or not, I have a mandate in that people knew I was going to do something and I wasn't coy about what I was going to do'."
Why It Matters
Trump ran a presidential campaign heavily focused on illegal immigration and border security, following record illegal crossings at the southwest border with Mexico during Biden's term. One of the key policies was mass deportations of the millions of migrants in the country illegally.
With a majority of voters believing Trump has the vision and tools to tackle the issue, the president-elect comes into office with broad support for a tall order that some experts have warned he may not be able to deliver on, support notwithstanding.
What To Know
Both Obama and Biden were unable to convince a majority of voters of their power to deal with illegal immigration in similar Gallup polls.
Ahead of Obama's inauguration in 2009, 35 percent felt confident in his chances. Even after carrying out large-scale deportations, he only saw the score rise by one point ahead of his 2013 inauguration. Biden saw 44 percent of voters express confidence in his ability to tackle illegal immigration. The issue was not nearly as salient in voters' minds in those surveys as it had become this cycle.
As for Trump, last time around 59 percent felt confident in his abilities to execute his immigration policies. Eight years later, that number has risen nearly 10 points.
"It doesn't necessarily give him a mandate, but it sets a high bar for delivering," Saad told Newsweek.
One of the questions voters have been asked in polls is about their support for mass deportations – a program that has maintained relatively strong support, even from some Democrats, despite warnings of sweeping measures not necessarily targeted at migrant criminals. Gallup's approach to surveying public opinion on illegal immigration again taps into concerns around criminality, without touching on legal migration.
Other surveys have shown that voters also want to see more routes to legal status for undocumented migrants. Since the election, Republicans have been divided over certain aspects of legal immigration, such as the H-1B visa system for skilled workers. Trump and Elon Musk have voiced support for the H-1B program.
Voters appeared less confident in Trump's ability to heal divisions like this, and those between Republicans and Democrats overall, with 65 percent telling Gallup they do not believe he cannot achieve positive change. There was also more skepticism on the incoming administration's ability to improve the environment, the healthcare system, or race relations.
On immigration, experts have told Newsweek previously that while the president may be able to enact some policy changes, it would be up to Congress to bring about comprehensive immigration reform.
What People Are Saying
Lydia Saad, Gallup's Director of U.S. Social Research, told Newsweek: "Obviously Americans have seen Trump V1, the last time we asked it in 2016 he had not served as President, he had not attempted any of these things. Certainly, he made immigration a big part of his 2016 campaign so the fact that it's changed since then could mean, 'Well, we saw that he did actually act on it in his first presidency, so he will follow through this time', or it could be that he was even stronger on the issue this time."
Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek in a statement: "President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to stop the invasion of illegal immigrants, secure the border, and deport dangerous criminals and terrorists that make our communities less safe. He will deliver."
Eric Ruark, director of research at Numbers USA, told Newsweek: "The big difference we anticipate in a second presidential term for Donald Trump is in one of the things that may be the only thing he said he would have and could've done better was staffing. Putting people in place who were willing and able to carry out his agenda. At numbers we've always, up until now, talked about legal more so. We've always opposed illegal, but now you can't talk about having a functional legal immigration system until we get control of the border and reestablish the rule of law."
Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, in a statement following the election: "We have a simple message for President-elect Trump or his deputies if they decide to make good on their despicable plans: We will see you in court. And, we have a message of love to immigrant communities, we see you, we are you and we will stand with you."
What's Next
Trump takes office on January 20, and it's expected that he will enact some immigration policies through executive orders within the first few days, including enabling more deportations.
Immigration advocacy groups that support undocumented migrants have said they plan to fight these actions in court, while Democrat-run cities and states have sought to shore up their sanctuary policies.
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