Majority of California residents express discontent with Trump's immigration enforcement strategies, according to a recent survey
In a poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, most California voters have expressed disapproval of the way immigration enforcement is being carried out in the state. The survey, which was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 11-17, gathered responses from 4,950 registered voters in California.
The poll, which was helped developed by G. Cristina Mora, IGS co-director and a sociology professor at UC Berkeley, revealed that 69% of respondents disapprove of immigration enforcement in California. This disapproval is reflected across political lines, with 95% of Democrats and 92% of Democrats agreeing that agents should have to identify themselves.
Among Republicans, there is a more fractured view on immigration. While 79% approve of immigration enforcement in California, 50% of Republicans agree that federal agents should be required to show clear identification when carrying out their work. Furthermore, 53% of Republicans agreed with the idea of ICE agents expanding enforcement into schools, hospitals, parks, and other public locations.
The poll also found that Republicans are more divided in their thinking on immigration than Democrats. This division is consistent with national polling and could be problematic for President Trump, as it indicates that he is losing big swaths of his base. Mike Madrid, a GOP political consultant, commented on this split, stating that it is problematic for Trump because it means he is losing big swaths of his base.
One of the poll questions was developed by Mora in response to a bill led by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) that would require immigration officers to display their agency and name or badge number during public-facing enforcement actions. The bill was drafted in response to the Trump administration's decision to rescind a memo restricting immigration agents from making arrests in sensitive locations, such as churches, schools, and hospitals.
ICE has justified the lack of identification by stating that agents are at risk of doxxing and have faced increased assault on the job. However, a letter from Padilla and 13 other Democrats was sent to Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons seeking information about the agency's policies regarding the identification of agents while on duty.
The survey did not explicitly mention the organization that conducted the poll about Californians' opinions on the dispute between Governor Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration regarding political district redistricting. However, the issue is widely reported in multiple news articles, especially in coverage by the Washington Post and other outlets discussing Newsomβs announced special election in California on November 4 to decide on the redistricting reforms.
The poll results also revealed some interesting subgroup differences among Latino voters. Older men and third-generation (or beyond) women are more likely to support the way immigration enforcement is being handled in California, with 38% of Latino men over age 40 in agreement compared to 11% of Latinas ages 18-39.
Mora commented on the varied responses, stating that they illustrate how California Republicans view the Trump administration's immigration tactics with "degrees of acceptability." This finding suggests that while many Californians disapprove of the current immigration enforcement methods, there is still a significant portion of the population that supports these tactics to some extent.
