Timesdo | Washington, United States — A revealing statistic has shaken the national immigration debate: nearly one in three U.S. adults supports deporting all undocumented immigrants, according to a Pew Research Center survey. This figure reflects a growing social polarization that, under the new Donald Trump administration, is taking on stricter tones and immediate operational consequences for millions of vulnerable individuals.
Between February 24 and March 2, 2025, over 5,000 adults were surveyed, and the results, published on March 26, show a country divided not only by political affiliation but by individual perceptions of what it means to “live without papers.” 32% demand total deportations, while 51% support partial removals based on criminal records, and only 16% believe no one should be deported.
The federal government’s new immigration approach — which has revived 18th-century laws to expedite removals without trial — has alarmed entire communities. According to the study, 42% of Hispanic adults fear deportation for themselves or a family member. For many, this anxiety is far from abstract: 4% now carry citizenship or residency documents daily, and another 2% have changed their routines to avoid interaction with authorities.
Partisan differences are stark. While 54% of Republicans support total deportation, only 10% of Democrats do. Moreover, 81% of conservatives believe law enforcement should verify immigration status during routine traffic stops, compared to 33% of progressives. These positions also influence how the current administration is evaluated: 75% of Democrats think Trump is doing too much on deportations, while only 13% of Republicans agree.
Views on where immigration arrests should take place also reveal a moral boundary for many citizens. The majority opposes arrests in places of worship (65%), schools (63%), and hospitals (61%). However, 66% approve arrests during protests, and 63% support them in private homes. These figures show a public opinion that shifts between legality, compassion, and national security.
Despite the severity of the new executive orders, current deportation figures remain below those recorded during Joe Biden’s presidency, although the Trump administration has begun using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out removals without court hearings, particularly against individuals linked to gangs or without legal status, according to CNN reports.
As for overall numbers, Pew estimates that in 2022, there were about 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Of those, 1.2 million are protected under programs like DACA and TPS, and around 772,000 entered the country through humanitarian parole from nations such as Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Ukraine. However, in March 2025, the federal government announced the termination of TPS for about 532,000 beneficiaries, leaving them unprotected from possible removal procedures.