New polling released this week finds that voters across party lines support a fair asylum process for people seeking safety in the United States. Among other key insights, the poll reveals strong opposition to Trump administration policies that deny hearings to people seeking asylum and to the government’s practice of deporting refugees and immigrants to unsafe third countries that are not their own.
“Over the past two years, the Trump administration has unleashed a slew of policies designed to dismantle the asylum process in the United States,” Kate Jastram, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), said today. “These policies are wildly out of step with what U.S. voters actually want. Our communities support an immigration system that respects everyone’s rights and gives everyone a fair shot, including newcomers seeking safety. Fast-track deportations are both unfair and unpopular. We urge our leaders to listen to their constituents and work to restore meaningful access to a fair asylum process.”
Key findings from the poll, conducted by Data for Progress, the Refugee Advocacy Lab, and Refugees International, include:
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Opposition to deportations of asylum seekers without a hearing: 68% of voters say the government should not deport people seeking asylum before they can make their case at an asylum interview or immigration court hearing. The Trump administration has pushed judges to deny asylum cases without a hearing (pretermission) and recently issued a new rule to bypass asylum interviews, which CGRS is challenging in court.
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Opposition to third country deportations: Three in five voters oppose deporting refugees and immigrants to countries other than their country of origin. This practice has exploded under the Trump administration, with the government sending thousands to unsafe third countries where they face grave harm. CGRS has brought a lawsuit challenging third country deportations under so-called Asylum Cooperative Agreements.
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Support for asylum access at the border: Three in five voters say the government should allow people to seek asylum at the U.S. southern border. The Trump administration has suspended asylum processing at the border since January 2025, leaving people fleeing persecution indefinitely stranded in perilous conditions. While lower courts have ruled this policy illegal, the administration is now seeking Supreme Court intervention.