President Donald Trump arrives at Leesburg Executive Airport on Marine One in Leesburg, Va., Thursday, April 24, 2025, en route to Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-04-25T11:02:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he takes wide-ranging actions to ramp up deportations and target people in the U.S. illegally, according to a new poll.The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trumps handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade with other countries. While Trumps actions remain divisive, theres less of a consensus that the Republican president has overstepped on immigration than on other issues. Still, theres little appetite for an even tougher approach. About half of Americans say hes gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Theyre divided on the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants who are accused of being gang members to El Salvador, and more oppose than support revoking foreign students visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism.Heres what the poll shows about how Americans are viewing the Trump administrations actions on immigration. Immigration is a point of strength for Trump, particularly with RepublicansImmigration was a major factor for voters in last Novembers election, particularly for Trumps supporters, and they were more open to tough stances on the issue than theyd been four years earlier. And even though many of Trumps immigration enforcement efforts are currently mired in battles with federal judges, its remained an issue of relative strength in the court of public opinion.Similar to an AP-NORC poll conducted in March, nearly half of Americans approve of Trumps immigration approach, while about 4 in 10 approve of how hes handling the presidency. This higher approval on immigration comes primarily from Republicans. About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trumps handling of immigration, higher than the roughly 7 in 10 Republicans who approve of how hes handling the economy or trade negotiations with other countries. Other groups are less enthusiastic about Trumps approach. About 4 in 10 independents and only about 2 in 10 Democrats approve of Trump on immigration.Relatively few Americans are concerned theyll know someone who is directly affected by increased immigration enforcement, according to the poll. About 2 in 10 Americans say they are extremely or very concerned that they or someone they know will be directly affected. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry theyll be affected, and Hispanic adults are more likely than white or Black adults to be concerned.About half say Trump has gone too far on deportationsAbout half of Americans say Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. About one-third say his approach has been about right, and about 2 in 10 say hes not gone far enough.Theyre unhappier, generally, with how hes approaching trade negotiations. About 6 in 10 say hes gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries.There is not a strong desire for more aggressive action on immigration, though, even among the people who approve of whats Trump doing. Among the Americans who approve of how Trump is handling immigration, about 6 in 10 say his approach has been about right, and roughly 3 in 10 say he hasnt gone far enough. Americans are split on sending Venezuelans to El Salvador but oppose revoking student visasThere is a deep divide on whether and how the Trump administration should undertake large-scale deportations, according to the survey, which was conducted in mid-April, while Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was on a trip to El Salvador to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported there in what officials later described as an administrative error.The poll found that 38% of Americans favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, down slightly from an AP-NORC poll conducted just before Trump took office in January. About the same share of Americans are opposed, and about 2 in 10 are neutral.The findings are very similar for Trumps policy of sending Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. who authorities say are gang members to a prison in El Salvador. But the public is more opposed, broadly, to revoking foreign students visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism, which has emerged as another flashpoint. About half of U.S. adults oppose this, and about 3 in 10 are in support. This action is particularly unpopular among Americans with a college degree. About 6 in 10 strongly or somewhat oppose it, compared with about 4 in 10 Americans who arent college graduates.___The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter