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A new survey from AP-NORC released this Wednesday reveals that approximately six in ten American adults believe that the United States is no longer a great place for immigrants, although they think it once was.
The survey, conducted with over 2,500 adults, comes after more than a year of massive deportation operations under the Trump administration and amid the debate in the Supreme Court regarding birthright citizenship.
Only about three out of ten adults claim that the country is still a good destination for immigrants, while one in ten argues that it never was.
About one-third of Americans report that they themselves or someone they know has been affected by immigration law enforcement in the past year: they have begun to carry proof of their status, have been detained or deported, have changed their travel plans, or have altered their routines to avoid going to work, school, or leaving home.
The impact is especially pronounced among the Hispanic community: approximately six out of ten Hispanic adults report having been affected in this way, a proportion that is significantly higher than that recorded among Black or White adults.
Reid Gibson, a 72-year-old retiree from Missouri who identifies as independent, is one of the respondents reflecting that reality. His stepdaughter started carrying her passport out of fear of being targeted in raids because of the color of her skin.
"This is simply wrong. This is no longer a good country for immigrants," stated Gibson, who warned that "it may take many years to reverse the damage that the Trump administration has inflicted" with its policies.
Kathy Bailey, a 79-year-old Democrat from Illinois, described how two women from her swimming class—both naturalized citizens—started taking their passports with them when leaving home.
One of them, originally from Latin America, is afraid to stand out in a predominantly white community.
"She is an American citizen, but she is so scared that she has to carry her passport. She's just a sweet grandmother swimming at five in the morning," Bailey said.
This climate of fear arises in the context of migrant arrests in public spaces that increased by 1,000% under the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the University of California, Berkeley.
The government has set a target of one million deportations per fiscal year for 2026, compared to approximately 442,000 in the previous year, and changes are expected in the coming months regarding how these operations are carried out.
The survey also addresses the debate about birthright citizenship, which the Supreme Court examined in a hearing on April 1 following Trump’s executive order aiming to deny that right to children of undocumented individuals or those with temporary status.
About two-thirds of American adults support automatic citizenship for all children born in the country, but only 44% of Republicans back that stance.
The nuances are notable: 75% support citizenship for children of parents with legal work visas, 60% for children of parents with tourist visas, and only about 50% support it for children of undocumented parents.
Nick Grivas, a 40-year-old Democrat from Massachusetts whose grandfather emigrated from Greece, summed up the concern of many: "We can see how we are treating children and the children of immigrants, and we are not seeing them as potential future Americans."
The fear among immigrants has steadily grown since the start of Trump's second term, and presidential approval regarding immigration issues among independent voters dropped from 37% in March 2025 to 23% in February 2026, according to earlier data from AP-NORC.
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