Stockton Poll: 62% of N.J. voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration issues

Two-thirds of New Jersey voters say immigration enforcement in the U.S. has gone too far, and nearly six in ten believe ICE’s deportation tactics are making communities less safe, according to a new Stockton University poll released today.

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy found that 59% of voters believe ICE’s tactics are making communities less safe, compared with 29% who say they’re making communities safer and 9% who see no real impact. On enforcement more broadly, 12% said recent efforts haven’t gone far enough, roughly one in five said they’ve been about right, and a solid majority said they’ve gone too far. Voters also disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of immigration by a 62%–35% margin.

By a 55%-34% margin, New Jerseyans support increasing resources for the U.S. border with Mexico, but 60% oppose increasing federal resources for ICE.

New Jerseyans are evenly split on a national effort to deport people who are in the country illegally.  Over 80% of the state supports creating additional opportunities to legally immigrate to the U.S.

There is a significant division between the two parties over ICE enforcement: 96% of Democrats and 19% of Republicans say immigration enforcement has gone too far, 93% of Democrats and 9% of Republicans believe ICE tactics make communities less safe, and 91% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans oppose increased funding for ICE.

“While there is broad agreement in New Jersey that immigration contributes positively to the country and bipartisan support for expanding legal pathways, views on how immigration is enforced and the scope of those efforts remain highly polarized,” said Alyssa Maurice, Hughes Center assistant director and head of polling. “Democrats and Republicans also have vastly different perceptions on the impact of immigration.”

The Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University poll was conducted between February 6-16 with a sample size of 700 registered voters and a margin of error of +/- 3.7%.