Trump’s Deportation Efforts Backed by Wide Margin, Poll Finds

A new poll released Wednesday shows that a majority of Americans approve of the Trump administration’s efforts to detain illegal aliens in Los Angeles as well as the president’s decision to send in the National Guard to control violence.

The RMG Research poll, which was conducted on June 9—two days after President Donald Trump called up the National Guard to restore order in LA—asked a sample of 1,000 registered voters what they think about immigration, Trump’s policies, and the usage of the National Guard.

The poll asked voters if they generally approved of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal aliens so far. Of those who responded, 58% said they favored the administration’s actions, with 34% saying they “strongly favor” them. Thirty-seven percent said that they opposed the Trump administration’s policies.

Of those who were asked about the number of illegal aliens deported so far, 36% said the administration had gone “too far” while 25% said the deportations were “just right,” and 30% said the deportations hadn’t gone “far enough.”

The poll showed a strong partisan divide on the issue. Of those that approved of deportations, 86% were Republicans and just 26% were Democrats, according to the poll. Independents leaned toward favoring deportation with 45% saying they were in favor and 35% saying they oppose.

An area of contention between the president and Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been Trump’s decision to call up the National Guard to maintain and protect federal property and personnel in Los Angeles.

Protests developed into riots in Los Angeles and surrounding areas last Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials conducted operations looking into a conspiracy to engage in “money laundering, tax evasion, and customs fraud,” according to Trump administration border czar Tom Homan.

The Department of Homeland Security put out a statement Saturday night, saying, according to Fox News, “Last night, over 1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property. It took the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 2 hours to respond.”

The National Guard began arriving Sunday morning at Trump’s request. They have been augmented by U.S. Marines sent by the Department of Defense.

The RMG Research poll asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of President Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard?” Overall, 52% of those who responded said that they approved, with 30% saying that they “strongly” approved.

Newsom asked U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to limit Trump’s use of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, but the judge quickly denied that request on Tuesday. Breyer—a 1997 appointee of President Bill Clinton, who is the brother of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer—scheduled a hearing on the matter for Thursday.