New National Poll Shows Immigration Enforcement Is Driving Voters Away from Republicans Ahead of 2026 Midterms

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UNITE HERE today released a new national survey showing that the White House's immigration enforcement agenda is eroding support for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The findings show that voters believe the administration is prioritizing deportations over the economy, and that this approach is pushing key constituencies away from the GOP coalition.

The full report is available HERE.

"We hear from our members– both immigrant and U.S. born – that they are concerned about the broad economics of White House immigration policy," all the time," said Enrique Fernández, UNITE HERE's Vice President of Immigration, Civil Rights, and Diversity. "This survey demonstrates how broad that sentiment is – even amongst those who voted for Trump in 2024. Voters want leaders focused on lowering the cost of healthcare, lowering the cost of living, protecting jobs, and strengthening economic security for workers, not expanding raids and deployments in our cities. Mass deportations and terrorizing our cities are not compatible with a strong economy, and voters know it."

Key Findings from the Survey:

Defectors are moving away from Republicans, and immigration enforcement is a key driver.

• Over 60% of Americans agree that the Trump Administration is too focused on deportations and not enough on fixing the economy.
• Immigration enforcement is a net negative for Republicans; among Trump defectors specifically (voted for Trump in 2024, not voting for R's in 2026), 54% say immigration enforcement makes them less likely to vote Republican.
• Roughly 15% of the voters Donald Trump won in 2024 now say they will not vote for a Republican in Congress this November.
• Among Trump defectors specifically, 54% say immigration enforcement makes them less likely to vote Republican, and 54% say the same of ICE deployments.
• ICE deployments rank as the third-largest driver of disaffection among 2024 Trump voters.
• The data also shows a split among Trump's own 2024 voters: 46% of Latino Trump voters agree the administration is too focused on deportations, compared with 35% of White Trump voters.
• On deportation handling, only 40% of Latino Trump voters strongly approve, versus 57% of White Trump voters.

Voters say the White House has the wrong priorities.

• 69% of Americans agree that the Trump administration is focusing too much on deportations and not enough on fixing the economy, inflation, and the rising cost of living.
• When Americans are asked which issues are the most important to their vote in 2026, inflation and the cost of living (26%) ranks first, followed by democracy and elections (15%), jobs and the economy (14%), and deportations/immigration enforcement (12%).

Large majorities support a path to citizenship and legal status.

• 73% support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. (44% strongly), and 72% support a path to legal residency under the same conditions.

The Republican Party's image has deteriorated.

• A majority of Americans (51%) say they view the Republican Party less favorably than a year ago, compared with 17% who say more favorably.

The poll was conducted by Morris Predictive Insights from February 6 to February 10, 2026 among a sample of 1,500 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The margin of sampling error is ±2.5 percentage points.

UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 300,000 working people across Canada and the United States. UNITE HERE members work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries.

SOURCE Unite Here