While many Americans support the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, approval slips when confronted with the potential impact, a new Scripps News/Ipsos poll finds.
The survey, conducted after the November 5 election, finds that 52% say they somewhat or strongly support the mass deportation of those in the country illegally. That includes an overwhelming majority of Republicans (85%) and more than half of independents (54%).
The results are similar to a Scripps News/Ipsos poll in September that showed support at 54%.
But the potential fallout from what would result in millions of people currently in the U.S. being removed has an impact on Americans' approval.
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In our latest survey, support for deportations drops 15 percentage points, to just 38%, if it means separating families. While a majority of Republicans (68%) remain in favor of the policy, just four in ten independents and about one in ten Democrats would still support it.
“A bare majority say that they support it, in theory, but now that we add in some additional details and actually, in practice, of what that could look like, support declines dramatically,” said Ipsos Vice President Mallory Newall.
An estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants are currently in the U.S., and immigration advocates have warned about the impact deportations could have on the economy.
Approval drops nearly 10 points (43%) if the policy results in higher prices on goods.
But two other economic warnings do little to change Americans’ opinions. Support for mass deportations drops just four points to 48% if it results in fewer people paying into Social Security and Medicare. Support drops five points (47%) if deportations negatively impact the labor market.
