Story perspectives

Polls Show Most Voters Say Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Exceeded Limits

By Drooid · Oct 8, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Cornyn Criticizes Deportations

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said President Donald Trump’s mass deportations have gone too far.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on criminal migrants rather than all illegal entrants.
A Fox News poll of 1,211 voters (Sept 11-14) found 53% think immigration enforcement exceeded limits.
An NBC News/Telemundo poll of 800 Hispanic voters (Sept 21-28) showed 69% disapproved of Trump’s immigration handling.

Summary

Rural Republicans Praise Trump

Two-thirds of rural MAGA Republicans say President Donald Trump’s immigration policies positively impacted their communities.
About 70% of rural voters consider legally present immigrants very or somewhat important to local economies.
Roughly 45% of rural voters believe undocumented immigrants are at least somewhat important to their economies.
The KFF-AP Rural Voters Survey interviewed 2,241 registered rural voters online and by phone Aug. 12-24, 2026.

History

Historical Context

In 1996 Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which President Bill Clinton signed and took effect April 1 1997, expanding expedited removal and creating the 287(g) partnership with state police. The law pushed annual deportations from roughly 50,000 to over 200,000 by the early 2000s, a trend echoed in today’s ICE enforcement and debates cited by the Center for Immigration Studies.

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Cornyn Criticizes Deportations

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said President Donald Trump’s mass deportations have gone too far.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on criminal migrants rather than all illegal entrants.
A Fox News poll of 1,211 voters (Sept 11-14) found 53% think immigration enforcement exceeded limits.
An NBC News/Telemundo poll of 800 Hispanic voters (Sept 21-28) showed 69% disapproved of Trump’s immigration handling.

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