Compared to 2017, more Texans see immigration as harmful and want undocumented immigrants deported, and fewer see immigration as helping US according to a poll released Tuesday by the Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan leadership training group.
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Immigration was the top issue facing Texas, survey respondents said — though they reported mixed views on specific impacts. Rising prices and border security were a close second and third, according to the Lyceum’s annual poll, which collected responses from 1,200 adults in the Lone Star State, about 69% of them registered voters.
Texans were evenly split, at 32% each, on whether immigration helps the United States more than it hurts, or hurts more than it helps. Another 30% said it was a little bit of both.
Those views have shifted sharply since 2017, when 62% of respondents said immigration helps more than it hurts. Twenty-seven percent said it hurts more than it helps that year, and just 6% said a little bit of both.
This year, a significantly higher portion of people, 68%, said they believed President Trump would deport undocumented immigrants compared to 2017, when 50% said that would happen, according to the poll. In the poll, 44% said they want him to do so — up from 31% in 2017.
And while 29% of those who responded said they were extremely concerned with illegal immigration, 63% also said they believed undocumented immigrants fill jobs American citizens don’t want.
When it comes to personal finances, meanwhile, 41% of respondents said they were worse off than a year ago, and another 36% said their situation was the same. Just 23% said they were better off.
The Lyceum also polled people on how well they felt they were being represented: 55% approved of Gov. Greg Abbott’s job performance, up from 49% last year. Both Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton — who is running for a U.S. Senate seat — earned 42% approval, while 46% of Texans polls approved of how well of a job the state legislature is doing.
The poll was conducted from March 28 to April 4, via phone and the internet. The overall margin of error was 3 percentage points.
And while Texans were split on many issues, there was at least one statement that drew a majority of support: 68% said they would rather see their political leaders compromise and find middle ground on key issues, rather than stand their ground.
Disclosure: Texas Lyceum has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Author: Sameea Kamal
Sameea Kamal is an Austin-based reporter covering politics. She previously covered California state politics for CalMatters, focusing on democracy, representation and government transparency. Before that, Sameea was a fellow with Investigative Reporters and Editors, a news desk editor at the Los Angeles Times, and a digital editor at the Center for Public Integrity. Sameea previously reported on local news in Southern California, where she grew up. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a minor in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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