Americans Are Turning Against Trump's Deportation Machine

Two-thirds of Americans—64 percent—now support a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

The public has had enough.

A new national Quinnipiac poll released today shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans—64 percent—support a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants. That’s up sharply from 55 percent in December. Support among independents is even stronger at 71 percent.

Americans are seeing the true face of Trump’s second-term immigration agenda, and they are pushing back. Families are being torn apart. Veterans are being deported. Masked men in unmarked vehicles are snatching people off the streets without warrants. And communities across the country are refusing to be silent.

When the People Push Back

In Los Angeles, a woman was dragged into a vehicle by masked agents who refused to identify themselves. Neighbors assumed it was a kidnapping and called 911. It turned out to be ICE. But the community response was immediate. Neighbors intervened, filmed the encounter, and demanded answers. LAPD arrived. The agents scattered.

“If they can do this to her, they can do it to any of us,” said one local organizer.

In Manhattan, volunteers inside a courthouse embraced families about to be separated and physically stepped between ICE agents and those they came to detain. One woman said simply, “They can’t take away people’s dignity. They are human.”

These are not isolated incidents. They are signs that people are no longer willing to accept government-sanctioned cruelty in silence.

Veterans Betrayed

This campaign of fear and force has reached even those who wore the uniform.

Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart veteran and longtime Hawaii resident, chose self-deportation to South Korea after ICE revoked his deferred status and strapped him with an ankle monitor. He left behind two children and a mother with dementia. “I can’t believe this is happening in America,” he said.

Marine Corps veteran Adrian Clouatre now cares for two toddlers alone after ICE detained his wife. He still has not figured out how to explain her absence to their children.

Representative Ro Khanna has warned that as many as 10,000 service members and veterans have been deported or placed into removal proceedings. These are not exceptions. They are symptoms of a policy that treats no one as sacred, not even those who served.

Businesses Speak Out

The economic impact is undeniable. In Key West, roofing contractor Vincent Scardina—an outspoken Trump voter—lost six workers in one day after an ICE raid. That was a third of his workforce. “You get to know these guys,” he said. “You see what happens to their families. It’s quite a shock.”

In Homestead, retail business owner Jennifer Leos has seen sales in her district fall by more than half as both workers and customers stay home, afraid of being swept up in raids. Local business owners have organized protests, warning that the ripple effects of these policies are devastating entire communities.

Across Florida, from Tallahassee to Wildwood to Miami, construction and hospitality sectors are seeing widespread absenteeism. Real estate developer Don Peebles said these raids are delaying projects and increasing costs. “Workers are hard to find now. A lot of them are afraid,” one subcontractor reported.

In Los Angeles, Maria Salinas, president of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, condemned ICE tactics for destabilizing the economy. Juan Ibarra, a produce vendor, said customers are too afraid to shop. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is now formally reviewing the financial toll of these raids.

The hotel and agriculture sectors are also struggling. One-third of hospitality workers are immigrants. The American Hotel & Lodging Association reports that stepped-up enforcement is worsening the labor shortage. Farmers from across the country have joined in, warning that ICE is removing their most reliable workers, leaving critical jobs unfilled. Even President Trump has acknowledged the complaints, saying that these workers are difficult to replace.

Business leaders who once supported Trump’s policies are now saying the cost is too high, both economically and morally.

Emil Bove and the Collapse of Law

Even the courts are being challenged. Emil Bove, Trump’s nominee for a federal judgeship and a former DOJ official, is at the center of a whistleblower complaint that should alarm everyone. According to multiple reports, Bove told DOJ staff that the administration should ignore court orders and continue deportations anyway. His exact words were that they should “tell the courts ‘f— you.’”

He did not deny the comment during his confirmation hearing. Instead, he said, “I’m not anybody’s henchman.”

The courts are being stripped of power while unchecked deportation forces expand.

When the Law Acts Like Criminals

ICE is not acting like a law enforcement agency. It is behaving like a paramilitary force, accountable to no one. Masked men in ICE jackets are pointing guns at unarmed civilians. They refuse to show identification. They do not produce signed warrants. They detain people outside of their legal jurisdiction. And they are targeting U.S. citizens and legal residents, not just undocumented immigrants.

It has gone beyond federal agents. Under Trump’s directives, ICE has effectively deputized local militias, bounty hunters, and in some cases, Proud Boys and other extremist vigilantes. These individuals are armed and operating with zero oversight. In states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona, reports have surfaced of masked men dragging people from their cars, storming homes, and detaining families without charges.

Now the danger has grown even more chaotic. Phony agents are appearing in neighborhoods wearing counterfeit ICE jackets and badges—easily purchased online. Some are robbing families. Others are issuing threats, demanding money, or simply inflicting harm. There is no meaningful way for victims to distinguish between rogue government agents and criminal impersonators.

When the law behaves like criminals, it becomes easier for actual criminals to impersonate the law. When the government models lawlessness, it invites chaos and vigilantism. That is what we are seeing now. And the people know it.

Americans are not just rejecting Trump’s cruelty. They are rejecting the breakdown of the rule of law that allows men with guns and no accountability to decide who gets dragged away and who gets to stay.

Numbers Map The Brewing Backlash

The Quinnipiac poll confirms what Americans are feeling.

• 64 percent prefer a path to legal status. Only 31 percent support mass deportation.

• Among independents, the gap is even wider: 71 percent for legal status, only 24 percent for deportation.

• 57 percent disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies.

• On deportations specifically, 59 percent disapprove. Just 39 percent support it.

• 56 percent of voters disapprove of ICE’s performance, with majorities of independents and women expressing concern.

• 54 percent of all voters disapprove of Trump’s presidency overall.

• When asked to name the most urgent issue facing the country, more voters chose preserving democracy than the economy or immigration.

The American People Are Choosing Humanity

Even where Trump tries to project strength, like protests and law enforcement, he is losing public trust. Sixty percent of voters disapprove of his decision to send U.S. Marines into Los Angeles. Fifty-five percent disapprove of his deployment of the National Guard. Among independents, disapproval of the Marine deployment rises to 67 percent.

The No Kings mobilization was the largest protest yet against Trump’s second-term deportation campaign. From Miami to Minneapolis, people took to the streets to protect their neighbors and reject authoritarian tactics.

The polling reflects what No Kings made visible. Americans are fed up. They do not want military force used against civilians. They do not mistake cruelty for leadership. And they are not alone.

Thousands showed up in defiance of fear, not just to protest but to protect. That exposed the real weakness in Trump’s playbook. He depends on isolation. No Kings showed that people are standing together.

In communities across the country, people are intervening in ICE raids. They are standing outside courthouses. They are holding signs in store windows that say “We won’t be silent.” They are calling out corruption. They are demanding that veterans be honored, not discarded.

This is what democracy sounds like.

And we need it to be much louder than fear.