The new national poll forces a reality check: most Americans back strong immigration enforcement, support deportations, and oppose defunding ICE, while the political left and parts of the media keep pushing a different narrative.

New Poll Crushes Dem, Media Narrative: Americans Demand Mass Deportations, Back ICE Overwhelmingly

If you’ve been watching mainstream coverage, you might think the country wants to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That impression comes from a noisy minority amplified by sympathetic outlets, not from the country at large. The poll data tells a very different story.

The nationwide survey puts numbers behind what many Americans already feel about border control and law enforcement. By a two-to-one margin, 61-34 percent, voters support deporting people who entered the country illegally. An even larger share, 73 percent, agree that crossing the border illegally is, simply put, breaking the law.

Those figures matter because they slice across party and demographic lines in ways the media rarely emphasize. Sixty percent plus support for enforcement isn’t a fringe position; it’s mainstream. And when 58 percent oppose defunding ICE, that’s a clear signal about how voters view public safety functions tied to immigration.

When political strategists pitch defunding or abolishing enforcement agencies as a winning message, the numbers say otherwise. The poll indicates that if candidates embrace those positions, the political fallout can be immediate. Voters punish politicians who put ideology ahead of enforcing existing laws.

The polling firm’s analysis is blunt about the consequences for Democrats who lean into anti-ICE rhetoric. Voter preferences shift when the choice is framed as protecting enforcement versus hampering it; the generic ballot moves as voters react to the idea of defunding ICE. Those shifts matter most in swing areas and among Independents who decide tight races.

The poll also shows a sharp contrast between party activists and the broader electorate. While some activists celebrate protests and even illegal disruption aimed at ICE, most Americans view immigration primarily through a law-and-order lens. Supporters of enforcement see this as a straightforward issue of obeying and upholding the law.

That interpretation is reflected in how different voting blocs answered questions about the border’s importance. Swing-state voters, midterm electorates, and Independents rate it as a clear problem that requires action, not a niche grievance. The data suggests political consequences for those who ignore this consensus.

“Voters see illegal immigration as a simple question of law and order,” said Cygnal CEO, Brent Buchanan. “The data leaves no wiggle room. Americans want the law enforced, they want illegal immigrants removed, and they punish politicians who try to block ICE from doing its job.”

Even beyond the headline numbers, subtler patterns show where public opinion lands. Majorities across geographic and demographic slices support enforcement measures rather than moves to defund enforcement agencies. That makes immigration enforcement an issue with enduring political salience, not a temporary talking point.

Some earlier snapshots from the same firm revealed worrying attitudes among a portion of the left-leaning base, including alarming endorsements of illegal tactics to obstruct enforcement. Those fringe endorsements do not reflect mainstream views, yet they get amplified and misrepresented as popular sentiment.

For Republicans, the poll presents a tactical opening to emphasize law, order, and support for enforcement agencies while contrasting those stances with progressive proposals that voters reject. For Democrats, it highlights a disconnect between party activists and average voters that will require serious course correction to avoid electoral pain.

Political narratives aside, these numbers point toward practical policy debates: funding enforcement, border security, and how to process and remove those who cross illegally. Voters aren’t asking for ideology-driven gestures; they ask for workable solutions that enforce the law and restore control at the border.

The media’s tendency to frame this as a culture war between activists and institutions misses the larger point embedded in the survey. These results suggest Americans prioritize order, public safety, and a functioning immigration system over symbolic gestures aimed at abolishing institutions. That reality should shape how elected officials talk about this issue going forward.