Highlights
- 50 per cent of immigrants report feeling less safe since Trump took office in January 2025.
- 70 per cent would still choose to migrate to US despite current challenges.
- 41per cent now worry about detention or deportation, up from 26 per cent in 2023.
Concern about detention or deportation has risen significantly, with 41 per cent of immigrants now worrying that they or a family member could be detained or deported, compared to just 26 per cent two years ago during the Biden administration.
Mixed emotions amid enforcement
The survey captured a complex emotional landscape. While 50 per cent of respondents reported feeling afraid about current immigration enforcement, an equal number expressed anger. Undocumented immigrants showed particularly high levels of concern, with 82 per cent saying they felt afraid.
Leticia Anaya, 60, a Mexican-born US citizen living in Colorado, described how her family now keeps all their documents including naturalisation papers and passports in a "special box" at home. "It's not like I am very afraid, but it could happen," she said. "I look Hispanic. I have an accent."
However, the findings also revealed divisions within the immigrant community itself. Some 40 per cent of immigrants surveyed believe Trump's enforcement tactics are necessary, with citizens who have lived in the US for decades being more likely to hold this view.
American dream endures
Despite the climate of fear, the survey found remarkable resilience in immigrants' faith in their decision to come to America. About 70 per cent said that if they could go back in time, they would still choose to migrate to the US, a figure virtually unchanged from two years ago.
Nearly 80 per cent of respondents, including a majority of undocumented immigrants, said they were on their way to achieving the American dream or had already achieved it. Large majorities reported that their financial situation, employment prospects, and educational opportunities were better in the US than in their countries of origin.
"People often compare their decision about moving, or not, compared to where they were," explained Pawan H. Dhingra, a professor at Amherst College who researches immigration. This perspective helps explain why immigrants can simultaneously feel "less safe and still feeling like the American dream is possible."
The survey did reveal a significant shift in how immigrants view America's role as a destination for newcomers. Some 60 per cent of immigrants, including those with legal status, now say the US used to be a "great place" for immigrants but no longer is.
The poll included citizens, legal permanent residents, and undocumented immigrants, and was conducted in six languages to ensure broad representation of the diverse immigrant population in America.
