A CNN panel on Friday downplayed the findings of a Fox News poll released on Thursday, which revealed that 63% of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants. The poll, which surveyed public opinion on immigration and deportation, reflects significant backing for President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, a key promise of his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump’s plan to conduct mass deportations, should he be reelected, has also garnered majority support, according to a Scripps News/Ipsos poll published in September 2024.
However, on CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash, White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López and journalist Peter Hamby suggested that the level of support for deportations may not be as strong as the Fox News poll indicates. Their comments came after a segment on immigration correspondent Priscilla Alvarez’s report about the family members of individuals deported on planes to El Salvador on Saturday.
Barrón-López, during her appearance, pointed out that Trump’s administration has consistently framed deportations as targeting criminals. She questioned the public’s true stance on deportation, particularly when it comes to individuals who may not have a criminal history.
“I think that obviously the president has kind of blanketed the airwaves with saying that all of these people deported are criminals,” Barrón-López said.
“And given the fact that we reporters like Priscilla or I, we have very limited information as to who exactly has been deported, the government has not handed over names. I know CBS got a hold of a list of names, but that hasn’t been provided to those who are asking for who was actually deported.”
Barrón-López continued, highlighting the distinction between people who enter the country illegally and those who overstay their visas.
She emphasized that overstaying a visa isn’t considered a criminal act, contrasting it with the Trump administration’s focus on deporting individuals with criminal backgrounds.
“There is a difference between someone who came into the country illegally versus someone who overstayed their visa. That’s not a crime versus someone who has no criminal record, no criminal history,” Barrón-López stated.
She also discussed the deportation of Venezuelan nationals, noting that family members and lawyers of some deported individuals claim that their clients had no criminal records and were in the middle of immigration proceedings. Some of these individuals, she said, were sent to El Salvador, but their families and lawyers have struggled to contact them since the deportations. In response, CNN anchor Dana Bash acknowledged Barrón-López’s points, suggesting that the Trump administration’s lack of transparency on the issue complicates the public’s understanding of the deportation process.
“I was thinking just that. A lot of political fights are academic and opaque to a lot of the American public,” Hamby added.
“And if you look back on Donald Trump’s first term, the moments when he really saw big public backlash were moments that were accompanied by images, videos, stories of people, child separation being a good example, January 6th being a good example. You see the videos.”
On the same day as the CNN segment, the Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA). El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed on Sunday that his country received 238 members of TdA and 23 members of the MS-13 gang.
The Fox News poll, which gauged public opinion on deporting illegal immigrants, asked participants whether they “favor” or “oppose” deporting individuals in the country illegally. Barrón-López raised concerns about how such questions are framed in polls, suggesting that the inclusion of certain categories—such as those who overstayed visas or were in the process of claiming asylum—could influence the results.
“So sometimes I think it’s also the way we ask those questions in polls,” Barrón-López said.
“Are we framing it as they are illegal immigrants, or are we, you know, splitting it up and saying some of these people overstay visas? That’s not illegal. Some were in the process of claiming asylum. Are Americans opposed to all those different types of immigrants that have been living in this country, in some cases, for decades?”
Bash echoed Barrón-López’s point, questioning whether Americans would support deporting families who have been living in the U.S. for long periods.
“When you start to split hairs on immigration, the vast majority of Americans want criminals deported, but those numbers shrink when it gets into do you support separating families who have been here?” Hamby concluded, noting that support for deporting long-term residents is generally lower than for deporting more recent arrivals.
The discussion on CNN highlights the ongoing debate over immigration policies, with different sides questioning both the legal and moral implications of mass deportation efforts as the Trump administration continues its tough stance on immigration enforcement.
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