Aapi Adults Prioritize Immigration, But Split On Mass Deportations: Ap-norc/aapi Data Poll

Immigration is an issue that many Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders want the government to focus on this year, but they are sharply divided on what actions President-elect Donald Trump should take when he returns to the White House, according to a new poll.

The survey released Wednesday from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that although Trump's favorability appears to have increased among AAPI adults since before the election, most continue to view him negatively. And there's little consensus on one of his major immigration proposals: About 4 in 10 AAPI adults support deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, while a similar share oppose the idea and the rest are neutral.

The poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, whose views are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

The findings come less than a week away from Trump's inauguration. He is preparing a shock-and-awe campaign of more than 100 executive orders on border security, deportations and other policies starting on his first day in office . States' lawmakers, depending on their political affiliation, are vowing to either support or resist Trump's vision.

Immigration has risen as a priority for AAPI adults over the past year. The poll found that about 4 in 10 named immigration and border issues as one of the top five problems the federal government should work on in 2025, up from about 3 in 10 who said it was a priority for 2024 . There has been a similar uptick in the share of U.S. adults overall who want the government to address immigration and border topics. About half of Americans want immigration to be a priority this year, while about one-third wanted it prioritized going into 2024.