Slim Majority of Americans Approve Of Trump Administration's Deportation Tactics, But With a Caveat

The poll shows that 54% of Americans approve of the administration's program to deport immigrants who are undocumented, while 46% disapprove. Likewise, 42% of the respondents said the administration's program is making people in the U.S. safer. 30% said less safe and 27% viewed no change.

However, those figures are related to the fact that more people believe the administration is prioritizing the deportation of people who they believe are dangerous criminals. In fact, 53% of respondents said mass deportations are targeting dangerous criminals, while 47% say it is also targeting those who aren't dangerous criminals.

On the topic of due process, large percentages of Americans continue to say it is not acceptable if legal residents are mistakenly deported as part of the programs. Likewise, a majority (63%) say non-U.S. citizens should still get a court hearing before being deported, while 37% say they should be deported first.

But the issue remains deeply partisan. Predictably, 93% of Republicans approve of the administration's deportation tactics while 7% disapprove. Meanwhile, only 18% of Democrats approve of the administration's deportation program, while 82% disapprove. Independents, however, seem to be much more divided on this issue, with 49% approving the measures, and 51% disapproving of them.

Economically, however, the President hasn't seemingly made much gains. When it comes to the the topic, another key pillar during the Trump administration and one in which voters would constantly give him an advantage of, the majority of respondents (39%) believe the recent deportation programs are making the U.S. economy weaker, with only 32% saying it has made it stronger, and 29% viewing no change.

CBS News explains that views on the economic impact show some connection to longstanding views about immigrants more generally (though not necessarily those in the country unlawfully). Those who feel immigrants take jobs away from Americans are far more approving of the deportation program. Also, a larger share of Americans say immigrants generally fill jobs Americans won't do, which in turn is related to the view that the deportation program will weaken the U.S. economy.

It is important to note, however, that this survey was conducted prior to the Saturday protests and events in Los Angeles, which are likely to have some effects on these figures.

Since Saturday, tensions in Los Angeles escalated as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to the president's deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.