A record-high, but surprising, 79 per cent of Americans view immigration as good for their country amid the chaotic efforts by the United States Administration to carry out mass deportation of undocumented people.

This is according to the latest finding by one of America’s most well-known polling organisations, the 90-year-old Gallup polls, which also found that the number of Americans who want immigration decreased had dropped dramatically from 55 per cent a year ago to 30 per cent today.

Gallup said Americans have grown markedly more positive towards immigration over the past year, reversing a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflecting changes among all major party groups.

“With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favour offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the US,” the organisation said.

The polls were carried out between June 2-26, 2025, using a sample of 1,402 US adults, including “oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics”.

“The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21 per cent approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35 per cent rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the Administration’s signature immigration policies,” said Gallup.

Latinos are the largest group targeted as undocumented migrants being rounded up by forces from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agencies which operate under the Department of Homeland Security.

Gallup notes that sentiment is back to the level measured in 2021, before the desire for less immigration started to mount with the rush on the southern border. Now, 38 per cent want immigration kept at its current level, and 26 per cent say it should be increased.

“With illegal immigration levels down dramatically and refugee programmes suspended, the desire for less immigration has fallen among all party groups, but it is most pronounced among Republicans, down 40 percentage points over the past year to 48 per cent.

“Among independents, this sentiment is down 21 points to 30 per cent, and among Democrats, down 12 points to 16 per cent,” the pollsters found.

“Republicans are the only group still showing at least plurality support for reducing immigration. Independents are most likely to favour maintaining current levels, while a plurality of Democrats favour increasing it.”

Against the 79 per cent seeing immigration as a good thing, only 17 per cent of US adults call it a bad thing, which Gallup said is consistent with the long-term pattern of more Americans viewing immigration as helpful than harmful to the country.

Gallup suggested that the recent jump in perceptions of immigration being a good thing is largely owed to a sharp increase among Republicans and, to a lesser extent, Independents.

Democrats who believe that immigration is beneficial to the country is also up slightly, to a record-high 91 per cent but which is generally consistent with their highly positive perspective on immigration over the past decade — at least 80 per cent calling it a good thing each year since 2016.

Gallup suggested that the surge in illegal border crossings during the Joe Biden Administration triggered heightened public concern about immigration and increased demand for stricter enforcement.

“The Trump Administration’s swift and visible response appears to have defused that concern, particularly among Republicans. As a result, Americans’ attitudes on immigration have largely returned to where they stood before the recent border surge.

“At the same time, support for tougher border control and aggressive deportation policies has eased since last year, with these measures mostly losing their appeal among Democrats and Independents.

Gallup found other significant changes in the attitude to immigration: more Americans now favour offering undocumented immigrants pathways to citizenship, while fewer support stringent measures to deter or reverse illegal immigration.

Support for increasing the number of Border Patrol agents has declined 17 points to 59 per cent, from 76 per cent a year ago. And backing for expanding the US-Mexico border wall has dropped eight points to 45 per cent.

Support is also lower today for deporting all undocumented immigrants, with 38 per cent now favouring this as the Administration is attempting it – down from 47 per cent last year when it was a Trump campaign promise.

In terms of a new policy being debated this year, Americans give lukewarm support to denying alleged gang members the ability to challenge deportation in court — half favour this being done, while 45 per cent oppose it.

Meanwhile, support for allowing undocumented immigrants to become US citizens has risen to 78 per cent, up from 70 per cent last year, which is back to the level of support seen in 2019. Approval is higher still, albeit statistically unchanged, for offering individuals brought to the US illegally as children a pathway to citizenship, with support holding above 80 per cent.

Perhaps because of Americans’ opposition to immigration policies that Trump has enacted to remove undocumented immigrants from the US, their evaluation of his work on immigration is mostly negative, said Gallup. Thirty-five per cent approve of his handling of the issue, while 62 per cent disapprove.