Supporters of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris back deporting immigrants who are involved in cartels, crime syndicates, and gangs, according to a new poll.
The poll was conducted online by YouGov between September 19-22, 2024, among 1,130 U.S. adults, including 990 registered voters. It found that both Harris and Trump voters back tougher measures on handling transnational criminal gangs. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4 percent.
YouGov polled likely Harris and Trump voters on the proposal of deporting immigrant gang members, drug dealers, and cartel members under the Alien Enemies Act.
While 95 percent of Trump voters back the policy, 72 percent of Harris voters support deporting foreign gang members.
Border security and immigration are key issues in the 2024 election as gangs have been thrust into the forefront of the national conversation following a string of high-profile crimes, including the murder of 12-year-old Houston girl Jocelyn Nungaray and the rise of the Tren De Aragua crime syndicate.
According to Gallup, 55 percent of voters—including nearly 30 percent of Democrats—want to see new curbs on immigration, the highest recorded figure since 2001, which shows a shift in public attitudes towards immigration.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns over email for comment.
Where Does Kamala Harris Stand On Immigration?
Harris has pledged to revive the bipartisan border security bill, which was killed by Republicans on Trump's request.
The bill would have added 1,500 more Customs and Border Protection officers and 4,300 asylum officers to deal with the immigration backlog and invested in advanced technology for monitoring, surveillance, and detecting drugs.
The Democratic Party platform states: "Congress must pass legislation to reform our asylum system modeled after the bipartisan Senate deal so that we can quickly identify and provide protection to those who are fleeing persecution and ensure it is not used as an alternative to legal immigration by others.
"Democrats believe that asylum processing should be efficient and fair and that those who are determined not to have a legal basis to remain should be quickly removed."
According to the party's platform, the sitting president should have the authority to expel migrants who are crossing unlawfully and stop processing asylum claims except for those using a safe and orderly process at ports of entry.
The powers should come with humanitarian exceptions for vulnerable populations, including unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking, according to the party.
The Democratic nominee has promised to crack down on the transnational criminal gangs and disrupt the flow of fentanyl entering the country.
Harris has pledged to double funding for the prosecution of transnational criminal gangs and cartels. During a visit to the southern border, the vice president said she would target the "entire global fentanyl supply chain."
The leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 is fentanyl overdoses, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The vice president has called for immigration reform focused on a humane approach, prioritizing pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers.
Dreamers refers to individuals brought to the U.S. as children without legal authorization who have since grown up identifying as Americans.
Her stance includes modernizing the immigration system to clear backlogs and expand asylum protections, contrasting with more restrictive policies on asylum previously seen under Trump.
Additionally, Harris supports expanding legal work visa programs and updating family reunification processes, framing immigration as beneficial to both the U.S. economy and society as a whole.
On border security, Harris promotes a balanced approach, emphasizing strengthened border measures alongside humane treatment and compassion for those seeking a better life in the U.S.
Taylor Rogers, a Republican National Committee spokesperson, told Newsweek: "Kamala Harris refuses to fulfill her role as border czar, ignores the invasion of dangerous gangs like Tren De Aragua at the southern border, and has allowed her inhumane wide-open border policies to drive up crime.
"Thanks to failed border czar Kamala Harris, apartment complexes are being taken over by violent gangs, more than 325,000 children are unaccounted for, and innocent victims like Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, and Rachel Morin have been brutally killed by illegal immigrants. America deserves a president that will close our border, deport illegal immigrants, protect our border patrol agents, and put America first."
Where Does Donald Trump Stand On Immigration?
The former president's immigration stance is rooted in tightening border security and limiting both legal and unauthorized immigration. His proposed measures for a potential second term largely revive and expand upon his previous policies.
The GOP platform states: "Republicans offer an aggressive plan to stop the open-border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal aliens, deadly drugs, and migrant crime."
"We will end the invasion at the southern border, restore law and order, protect American sovereignty, and deliver a safe and prosperous future for all Americans."
Brad Jones, a professor of political science at University of California, Davis, told Newsweek: "The narrative of the border being overrun is Trump's signature narrative and one of his most effective tropes."
During his presidency, Trump's border policies prioritized reducing unauthorized immigration through measures like partially constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, expanding immigration enforcement, and implementing stricter asylum criteria.
Trump also sought to reduce legal immigration, pushing to limit family-based immigration pathways.
One of his most controversial policies was the "zero tolerance" approach, which led to family separations at the southern border.
Trump seeks to limit legal immigration by ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and scaling back Temporary Protected Status (TPS), affecting hundreds of thousands who rely on these programs for legal residence in the U.S.
To curb illegal immigration, Trump has promised to revive the "Remain in Mexico" policy and the use of Title 42, which allows for quick expulsions of migrants on health grounds.
In the 2024 election, Trump has repeatedly promised to carry out the "largest mass deportation plan in history" under the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of known gang or cartel members.
He has vowed to deploy the National Guard to assist with deportations, amid questions on the legal limits on military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
The Alien Enemies Act is part of a set of laws enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1798. The act empowers the U.S. government, specifically the President, to detain, deport, or restrict the movements of nationals from foreign nations deemed hostile to the United States during times of war.
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