A CNN panel on Friday attempted to cast doubt on the political strength of a new Fox News poll showing that 63% of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants, suggesting the issue is more nuanced than polling indicates and warning of potential backlash if President Donald Trump proceeds with his promised mass deportations.
The discussion aired during Inside Politics with Dana Bash, following a segment by immigration correspondent Priscilla Alvarez, who detailed the latest deportations under Trump’s renewed enforcement efforts.
Journalists Laura Barrón-López and Peter Hamby both downplayed the Fox News findings, emphasizing a lack of clarity on who was deported and arguing that many immigrants targeted have no criminal records.
On Saturday, the Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to deport 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang and 23 members of MS-13 to El Salvador, where the government of President Nayib Bukele confirmed their arrival.
Despite the high-profile deportation of violent gang members, the CNN panel highlighted anecdotal cases from lawyers and family members who claimed some individuals were deported while in the middle of legal proceedings or asylum claims.
“There is a difference between someone who came into the country illegally versus someone who overstayed their visa,” Barrón-López said. “That’s not a crime.”
Barrón-López and others argued that the Fox News poll may be misleading due to how questions were framed — a common critique of public opinion surveys on hot-button issues.
“Sometimes it’s the way we ask those questions,” she added. “Are Americans opposed to all those different types of immigrants that have been living in this country, in some cases, for decades?”
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The Fox News poll, released Thursday, asked Americans whether they “favor or oppose deporting illegal immigrants to their home countries.” A strong 63% said they favor deportation, with bipartisan support from both Republican and independent voters.
This aligns with a September 2024 Scripps News/Ipsos poll, which found majority support for Trump’s proposed mass deportation agenda, especially among likely voters.
Still, CNN’s Peter Hamby warned that public opinion could shift based on emotional responses to high-profile cases.
“When you start to split hairs on immigration, the vast majority of Americans want criminals deported,” Hamby said, “but those numbers shrink when it gets into ‘Do you support deporting families who’ve been here 10 years?’”
Hamby added that moments like the 2018 child separation controversy created major backlash for Trump, implying that further deportations could provoke similar reactions.
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President Trump has doubled down on his immigration crackdown in his second term, including resuming construction on the border wall, ending asylum protections for many migrants, and directing ICE to begin mass deportation flights.
In response to the CNN panel, the Trump campaign said Friday that “the American people have spoken clearly” on illegal immigration and that the administration “will continue restoring law and order, no matter how loudly liberal media tries to distract from it.”
“When even Fox News and Scripps/Ipsos confirm that the majority of Americans want illegal immigrants deported, it’s not a fringe position — it’s mainstream,” said a Trump spokesperson.
As immigration once again emerges as a top 2024 issue, polls indicate that Democrats may face an uphill battle reconciling the progressive wing’s calls for leniency with voter demand for enforcement.
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