Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case has made headlines since he was deported to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador in March due to “an administrative error.” Since then, there have been several other cases of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detaining and deporting immigrants who have lawful status and no criminal record, most of whom were legally living in the U.S. while their asylum claims were being processed.
A new Data for Progress survey examined voters’ impressions of recent immigration enforcement and their views regarding due process.
For one, a majority of voters say that, in the past few weeks, they have seen, read, or heard “a lot” about “news reports about a man mistakenly deported to a prison abroad” (56%) and “reports of recent immigration enforcement actions involving detention or deportation” (56%).
When asked about the U.S. government sending immigrants who had been living in the U.S. with lawful status and no criminal record to be held in prisons outside the U.S., a strong majority of voters (71%), including 81% of Independents and even 51% of Republicans, say they are opposed, while 23% are supportive.
A strong majority of voters (72%) also believe that if the U.S. government alleges an immigrant who had been living in the U.S. with lawful status has ties to a criminal organization or other national security concerns, it should be required to present evidence to justify deportation. Fewer than 1 in 4 voters (23%) believe the government should be allowed to deport these individuals without presenting evidence.
Mirroring recent Data for Progress polling, a majority of voters (58%), including 2 in 3 Independents (67%), believe “everyone in the U.S. deserves due process and the presumption of innocence, including noncitizens.” Thirty-seven percent of voters believe “the U.S. government should be able to deport immigrants it believes may have committed a crime, even without a trial or conviction.”
Additionally, a majority of voters (52%), including 61% of Independents, say that when they hear about government actions that involve detaining or deporting people who had been living in the U.S. with lawful status, they think of it more as “a constitutional issue, because it raises questions about due process and legal rights,” while 42% say they think of it more as “an immigration issue, because it’s about enforcing who is allowed to stay in the country.”
The Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government must facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia, who had been living in the U.S. with legal status and was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador. The Trump administration has said it has fulfilled its obligations and has cited the man’s alleged gang ties, but he remains imprisoned abroad.
After being provided with some of this information, a strong majority of voters (63%) say “the government should take further steps to ensure compliance with the ruling,” while 30% say “the government has done enough to comply.”
The survey informed voters that some of the government’s recent actions have involved detaining or deporting immigrants who had been living in the U.S. with lawful status, sometimes without a trial or hearing — and then asked them if they think this could eventually expand to include U.S. citizens whom the government views as threats. Nearly half of voters (49%) say “these actions could eventually expand to include U.S. citizens the government views as threats,” while 43% say “these kinds of actions are likely to remain focused only on immigrants.”
When asked about the possibility, which Trump has floated, of sending certain American citizens convicted of crimes to a prison in El Salvador, a strong majority of voters (64%) are opposed, including 76% of Independents and a plurality of Republicans (45%). Only 26% of voters support this proposal.
These findings demonstrate that voters are hearing a lot about recent immigration enforcement and strongly oppose the concept of sending immigrants who have lawful status — or U.S. citizens convicted of crimes — to foreign prisons.
Voters see the detainment and deportation of immigrants who have lawful status as a constitutional issue, strongly support affording due process rights to noncitizens, and think the U.S. government should be required to present evidence to justify certain deportations. To that end, a majority of voters also say the government should take further steps to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling related to facilitating the return of Abrego Garcia.
Cross-posted from Data for Progress.
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