ALSO SEE: How US Views of Immigration Have Changed Since Trump Took Office, According to Gallup Polling

In a Gallup survey, 79 percent of Americans called immigration a “good thing” for the country. The finding comes as Trump pledges to carry out the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history.

Nearly 4 in 5 Americans believe immigration is good for the country, a record high, according to a poll released Friday that comes as President Donald Trump continues to take aggressive and wide-ranging measures to fortify the southern border and deport people who are in the country illegally.

The finding from the Gallup survey that 79 percent of Americans consider immigration a “good thing” was one of multiple notable takeaways from the poll. It also showed that 30 percent of Americans said immigration should be decreased, a sharp decline from 55 percent in 2024.

Trump returned to office in January pledging to carry out the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history and take other dramatic steps to deter people from illegally entering the country. The number of people illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border reached its lowest point in decades last month.

The Trump administration has celebrated the strides it has made in securing the border, but the poll found Americans dislike Trump’s handling of the issue by a wide margin. Sixty-two percent gave him negative marks on how he has managed immigration, while 35 percent graded him positively.

In its analysis of the poll, Gallup said the numbers reflected mostly a reversion to public opinion on immigration from before the influx of migrants under President Joe Biden.

“The Trump administration’s swift and visible response appears to have defused that concern, particularly among Republicans,” wrote Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. Social Research. “As a result, Americans’ attitudes on immigration have largely returned to where they stood before the recent border surge, marked by broader appreciation for immigration, less desire to reduce it, and more support for pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.”

In the poll, there was a modest increase in support for allowing people in the country illegally to become citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time. Seventy-eight percent of Americans backed the idea, up from 70 percent in 2024.

The concept, however, remains less popular among Republicans, a dynamic that has been on display in recent days. Trump and Cabinet officials have insisted there will be “no amnesty,” as some in their party have questioned whether they are making exceptions for migrant workers in their deportations.

When asked about the poll’s findings, the White House credited Trump for implementing his immigration policies.

“Now that President Trump has reversed Biden’s disastrous immigration policies and stopped the flood of criminal illegal aliens pouring in to the country, Americans have a lot less to be worried about,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesman, pointing to other polls that showed Americans more supportive of Trump’s immigration policies.

The poll prompted a response from Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), an outspoken critic of Trump’s immigration policies who was forcibly removed from a Los Angeles news conference last month while seeking to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem.

“The numbers don’t lie: the majority of Americans agree that immigration is overwhelmingly good for our country and our economy,” Padilla said in a statement, adding that Trump’s immigration policies have “sparked a fierce backlash” and united Americans in opposition.

The Gallup poll was conducted from June 2 to 26 among 1,402 U.S. adults. The margin of error was plus or minus seven percentage points.