A recent Fox News poll indicates that 53% of registered voters believe the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration laws has gone too far, consistent with views expressed since June 2025. Party lines significantly influence this perception: Democrats (87%) and independents (60%) are more likely to see enforcement as excessive compared to Republicans who are divided between seeing it as not enough (40%) or about right (43%). Approval ratings for President Trump on immigration policy have dropped to 43%, reflecting a narrowing advantage the GOP previously held over Democrats in handling immigration issues.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A Fox News poll conducted September 11-14, 2026, found that 53% of registered voters believe the Trump administration's enforcement of immigration laws has gone too far, consistent with views expressed since June 2025. The remaining respondents are evenly split between those who think enforcement hasn't been tough enough and those who feel it is appropriate. Party lines heavily influence these opinions: 87% of Democrats and 60% of independents believe enforcement has overstepped, compared to Republicans' views that are more evenly divided, with 40% saying enforcement isn’t strict enough and 43% believing it's about right. Among those who think enforcement has gone too far, 49% cite targeting the wrong people as the primary reason, while 45% point to excessive use of force. President Trump’s approval rating on immigration stands at 43%, a decline from its peak of 48% last summer.
Written for “Immigration Enforcement Controversy” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A 53% majority of registered voters say the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration laws has gone too far, according to new Fox News polling, a view that has stayed consistent since June 2025.
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that → register → June
The remaining voters are split between enforcement not going far enough and about right (23% each).
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enforcement → remain → going
The results skew along party lines: 87% of Democrats and 60% of independents say enforcement has gone too far, while most Republicans split between not far enough (40%) and about right (43%).
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Republicans → skew → enough
Among those saying enforcement has gone too far, voters are divided on the reason: 45% point to the government using too much force, while 49% say the wrong people are being targeted.
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people → say → force
Democrats say the government is targeting the wrong people (by 7 points) while independents say it’s because of using too much force (by 2 points).
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it → say → points
There are not enough Republicans saying the enforcement has gone too far to draw meaningful conclusions.
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enforcement → be → conclusions
Consequently, President Trump’s approval rating on immigration sits at 43%, down from a high of 48% last summer.
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rating → sit → %
For the past four years, until this summer, voters consistently said the Republicans would do a better job handling immigration than the Democrats.
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Republicans → say → Democrats
That advantage has all but disappeared, as voters are split between the parties (48% D vs. 49% R).
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voters → disappear → R
The Democrats are competitive on immigration thanks to independents backing them over the GOP by 6 points and 15% of non-MAGA Republicans preferring the Democrats.
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Democrats → back → Democrats
"The immigration issue has been defined in terms of border security since the Biden years," says Daron Shaw, the GOP pollster who helps conduct the survey with Democrat Chris Anderson.
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who → define → Anderson
"But voters now think of immigration policy as ICE crackdowns, and many say these have been too aggressive."
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these → think → crackdowns
Despite fewer than 1 in 10 (8%) voters identifying immigration as their priority, it only trails the cost of living (34%) and the broader economy (14%) as the most important issue facing the country.
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it → identify → country
One more thing…
Nearly two-thirds of voters (63%) agree that a child born to an illegal immigrant in the United States should automatically become a citizen.
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child → agree → States
While overall support has softened from previous highs around 67-69%, it’s still far above its low of 45% in 2006.
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it → soften → 2006
Again, results are defined by partisanship: roughly 9 in 10 Democrats and 6 in 10 independents support birthright citizenship while 6 in 10 Republicans oppose it.
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Republicans → define → it
Among Hispanic voters, two-thirds disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance and his handling of immigration.
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thirds → disapprove → immigration
They trust the Democrats over the Republicans on the issue by 19 points, while 60% say immigration enforcement has gone too far.
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enforcement → trust → points
Three-quarters of Hispanic voters think citizenship should be guaranteed for those born in the U.S. to illegal immigrant parents.
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citizenship → think → parents
Conducted September 11-14, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,211 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file.
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survey → conduct → file
Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (96) and cellphones (821) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (294).
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Respondents → speak → text
Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points.
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Results → base → points
In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results.
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wording → influence → results
Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population.
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demographics → apply → population
Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
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Sources → develop → Survey
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