CNN’s Harry Enten breaks down drastic reversal in Trump’s approval ratings on immigration

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten explained Thursday how Americans have dramatically shifted toward approving President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration.

Enten said on “CNN News Central” that Trump has a net positive approval rating on immigration, citing his own aggregate of polling. He explained how this is a substantial difference from April 2017 during the president’s first term.

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“Look at Trump’s net approval rating on immigration. Compare where we are now. Compare where we were at this point in his first term,” Enten said. “In his first term, he was underwater at minus 12 points. Look at where he is today. He’s actually above water. This is one of his strongest issues at plus one points.”

“And more than that, on the net approval, the net approval for him on this issue has stayed steady in the positive,” he continued. “This is an area where Donald Trump wants to focus. Because the bottom line is this is an area in which the American people, at least the bare majority of them, seem to like what he’s doing.”

The analyst then noted the stark contrast between Americans’ views of former President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration compared to Trump’s in his second term so far, citing Reuters/Ipsos polling.

“What track are we on, the right track or the wrong track? Look in December, look at the percentage who said we were on the wrong track: 62% of Americans when Joe Biden was in office, compared to just 14% who said that we were on the right track,” Enten said. “Flash forward to April. Well, hello, 45% say we’re on the right track, compared to 42% who say we’re on the wrong track.”

“So in a big switcheroo from where we were back in January, the plurality of Americans say that the country is on the right track when it comes to immigration policy,” he added. “Back in December, when Joe Biden was president, the vast majority said that we were on the wrong track. Again, this points out that on the whole, Americans like where we’re going on immigration policy under Donald Trump, which is very different from where we were under Joe Biden.”

Enten posited that Americans’ improved views of Trump’s immigration handling is due to their significantly more hawkish stance on deportation, citing The Washington Post.

“This, I think, is the big change … deport all undocumented immigrants, voters favoring the government trying to deport all 11 million of them,” he said. “Back in 2016, just 38% of voters wanted the government to try to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants. Compare it to where we are in 2025, 56%, the majority.”

“The American people have come a long way on this issue, much closer to Donald Trump. And I think that’s a big part of the reason why Americans are increasingly saying the country is on the right track when it comes to immigration policy, and why Donald Trump’s net approval rating on that issue is in the positive,” he concluded.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 31 to April 2 also found that Trump has a 48% approval rating on how he has managed immigration, while only 44% disapprove.

Pollster Frank Luntz warned Democrats on Tuesday that they should not attack Trump on this issue as Americans are aligned with his immigration agenda.

Border Patrol agents marked about 7,180 crossings along the U.S. southern border during March, according to data released on April 1 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The monthly average of border crossings from the previous four years were 155,000.

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