CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said Monday that President Donald Trump’s approval rating on immigration has significantly increased among American voters.
According to Enten’s aggregated data, Trump’s net approval on the issue now stands at +1—a 20-point jump since June 2017. The boost comes after Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard on Saturday to respond to riots in Los Angeles sparked by ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants.
“[Trump’s net approval rating] has gone up like a rocket,” Enten said. “Compare now versus eight years ago during Trump’s first term. Look at this, in his first term, Trump was way, way, way underwater at -21 points. But look at this, he’s up [by] over 20 points now in the aggregate, he is in positive territory at +1 point on his net approval rating.
Some other polls even have it a little higher than that,” Enten continued. “There is no issue on which Trump is doing so much better than he was in his first term more than the issue of immigration.”
A recent CBS News poll revealed that a majority of Americans, 54% and 51%, approve of Trump’s mass deportations and the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents searching their communities for illegal immigrants.
Additionally, the poll indicated that a majority of Americans who are directly affected by the immigration situation in Los Angeles, California, support Trump’s measures to address illegal immigration.
“It’s not just on the broad issue of immigration where Trump is doing well, it’s on the specifics. When you dive in on the issues, Trump is above 50% and his actions are above 50%, at least it comes to those most directly connected to what’s going on right now out in Los Angeles,” Enten said.
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Widespread riots erupted in Los Angeles on Friday following the arrests of at least 44 undocumented immigrants by ICE agents. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), those taken into custody had prior convictions for serious offenses, including second-degree murder, grand theft larceny, assault with intent to commit rape, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Rioters in Los Angeles set cars on fire, threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks, and rocks, and vandalized property with slogans like “KILL ICE.” In response, Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to the city, which prompted strong reactions from both Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles.
Enten noted that many Americans feel Democrats “don’t have a clue” when it comes to handling immigration. An Ipsos poll showed Republicans holding a 19-point advantage over Democrats on which party voters trust more on the issue. Additional polling from CNN and CBS News found Republicans leading by six points on immigration.
“No matter what poll you look at, no matter which way you cut it, the American public is with the Republicans [and] the American public is with Donald Trump and to a much greater extent than they were in term number one,” Enten said. “And it’s not just on the broad issue of immigration, but it’s on the specifics as well, in which the American public is with Donald Trump and the Republicans.”