CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten said Thursday that Americans favor Republicans’ approach to immigration enforcement over Democrats at this point in President Donald Trump’s term.
Ahead of the midterms, Democrats have relentlessly accused the Trump administration of cruelty and unlawfulness as deportations ramp up nationwide. But the polling tells a different story.
Republicans hold a five-point lead on which party Americans trust more on immigration. That’s a sharp reversal from 2018, when Democrats held a six-point edge.
“So this whole idea that Democrats are going to be able to take advantage of the immigration issue actually doesn’t bear itself out in the polling, despite everything that’s been going on. In fact, Democrats are in worse position than they were during Donald Trump’s first term … They think Democrats will do a worse job on immigration than Republicans,” Enten said.
On border security, the gap is even wider. Republicans’ advantage has grown from +13 in 2018 to +15 now, Enten said, citing a Fox News survey.
“So when you put it all together, you put immigration with border security and the idea that Democrats will be able to take the ball and run away on it,” Enten said. “The polling data suggests no, no, no. Democrats running on immigration may actually be to the Republicans advantage. This is actually an issue that Republicans should be more comfortable running on than Democrats.”
Trump’s approval rating on immigration stands at 45 percent — 11 points higher than former President Joe Biden’s rating in February 2022.
Under Biden, illegal border crossings exceeded 2 million and even 3 million in a single fiscal year. Those crossings have since fallen to record lows during Trump’s second term.
Watch the clip below:
🚨 BREAKING: CNN was just forced to confirm that Democrats are PLUMMETING on the issue of immigration despite the relentless propaganda and smears on ICE
WOW, they are down -11 points from Trump's first term! 🔥
"Despite EVERYTHING that's been going on, Democrats in a WORSE… pic.twitter.com/9LV5DY3U4H
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 26, 2026
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