Most Californians still disapprove of immigration crackdown, poll says

WASHINGTON- Two-thirds of California voters disapprove of President Trump’s immigration policies and a majority believe the policies discriminate against Latinos, according to a new poll.

Nearly half of voters said they feared that they, a family member or close friend could be detained because of Trump’s immigration policies.

Results of the UC Berkeley Institute for Government Studies poll, released Wednesday, show that most Californians have not changed their views on the president’s approach to immigration since he returned to office. A poll last August also showed strong disapproval of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration control.

The poll, conducted for the Los Angeles Times, showed the usual party divide when voters were asked whether they trust the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whether agents should wear masks while on duty and whether Latinos face discrimination.

“This suggests that a significant number of voters see ICE’s violation of undocumented immigrants’ individual rights as also potentially leading to broader violations of citizens’ rights,” said G. Cristina Mora, the institute’s co-director and a sociology professor at UC Berkeley who studies race and immigration.

“Latino voters also seem particularly concerned about how racism motivates current immigration practices,” she said, which is likely related to the Supreme Court’s approval of immigration officials detaining people on the basis of their race, ethnicity, language or occupation.

Voters’ overall disapproval of Trump’s immigration policies (64%) is down slightly from the August poll, in which 69% of respondents said they disapprove of the way immigration enforcement is being done in California.

Republicans now appear more supportive of immigration policies, with 86% saying they approve of Trump’s immigration policies — compared to 79% in favor of enforcing them in California last August.

Mora said California Republicans’ tilt toward the Trump administration may be due, in part, to the wording of the question, which focused on “President Trump’s immigration policies.”

Every time Trump’s name is mentioned, Republicans are more likely to agree with him, she said. The same effect is seen when asking about other issues, such as the economy.

Another factor could be timing, Mora said. Last summer, federal agents conducted large raids in Los Angeles before targeting other cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis.

Now that the administration has abandoned some tactics that led to an escalation of violence, Republicans are “coming into alignment” with the administration, she said.

“I feel like it was shocking,” Mora said of last summer’s immigration raids. “Things have normalized because the tension is elsewhere.”

Seeking to defuse the situation after two protesters were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, the president tapped his border adviser, Tom Homan, to take control of immigration enforcement operations there.

Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said that’s why voters are more supportive.

“Tom Homan being in charge, publicly taking a much lighter touch and appearing reasonable to the average voter is why you’re seeing this turnaround,” he said.

But Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said that was wishful thinking and that ICE’s approach had not fundamentally changed.

“It’s only down five points,” she said, referring to disapproval of Trump’s policies. “It’s not the American people who are on the administration’s side, it’s the fact that they don’t see murdered American citizens on their screens every day.”

One question has sparked sharp divisions among Republicans: Should immigration agents be allowed to enter the homes of suspected undocumented immigrants without a search warrant approved by a judge?

Among California Republicans, 45% said no, 38% said yes and 17% said they had no opinion.

O’Connell said that’s because Republicans place a high value on civil liberties, especially when it comes to property rights.

Republicans were more strongly in favor of a different policy, allowing ICE agents to wear masks while on duty. While 91% of Democrats oppose the policy, 68% of Republicans favor it.

In the August poll, 45% of Republicans said federal agents should be required to show clear identification when doing their jobs. This desire for identification does not seem to extend to being fully identifiable by the face.

O’Connell said Republicans understand the concern about officers being increasingly doxxed.

“The administration wants to find a happy medium there, whether it’s a nameplate or a badge number,” he said. “There is some wiggle room.”

Nearly 7 in 10 respondents said they want state and local authorities to intervene when they witness illegal detentions or excessive use of force by federal immigration agents.

Voters were also asked about their level of concern that they, a family member or close friend could be detained because of Trump’s immigration policies. While 85% of Republicans say they are not too worried, or not at all worried, 63% of Democrats say they are somewhat or very worried.

Overall, almost half of those surveyed, or 45%, say they are somewhat or very concerned. Among racial and ethnic groups, 62% of Latino voters, 46% of Black voters and 43% of Asian or Pacific Islander voters said they were somewhat or very concerned.

“The Latino community has always wanted to see the best of this country and they still do,” Cardona said. “Our positivity, our optimism, our hope for a better future is unmatched. I think that’s what you see in these numbers, even though our community feels totally under attack.”

Mora said the high concern among black residents is notable because, although most black Californians are not immigrants themselves, Los Angeles has one of the largest concentrations of Blaxicans — the children of one black parent and one Latino parent.

Beyond intermarriage, California’s black residents are also likely to have immigrant friends or neighbors, she said.

O’Connell took a different view: “I don’t think we can get anything out of this other than how one party is more focused on identity politics than the other.” »

The Institute of Governmental Studies poll was conducted online, in English and Spanish, March 9-15, among 5,109 registered voters in California.