A new poll shows attitudes toward immigration are shifting after the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants staying illegally in the United States.

A Gallup poll conducted June 2-26 of 1,402 U.S. adults — with oversampling of Hispanic and Black Americans and weighted to match national demographics — asked people their thoughts on the state of immigration. According to the results, fewer Americans want immigration decreased while also viewing deportation and border patrol increases less favorably. 

The percentage of people wanting decreased immigration dropped from 55% in 2024 to 30% in 2025. Meanwhile, the number of people wanting immigration to increase has risen from 16% to 24%. The number of people who want it to stay at present levels has also increased, going from 26% to 38%.

If public support continues to grow for immigration, it could spell relief for the roofing industry as it struggles with a chronic labor shortage.

Is Immigration Good?

Graphs courtesy of Gallup

A record high of 79% called immigration a good thing for the country, while a record-low 17% see it as bad. According to Gallup, this is consistent with a long-term pattern of more Americans viewing immigration as helpful rather than harmful.

The record increase is a reversal of a downward trend that occurred from 2021 to 2024. Last year, the percentage of people viewing immigration as good was 64%.

In 2024, 32% of respondents said immigration was a bad thing. This year, it dropped 15 percentage points to 17%.

When broken down by political party, the increase in those viewing it as good stems from a sharp increase in Republicans viewing it favorably. In 2024, 39% of Republicans saw it as good. Today, that number is at 64%.

The roofing industry has long depended on a migrant workforce to make up for a labor shortage. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are 13,600 openings for roofing jobs each year from 2023 to 2033, with many of these a result of older workers retiring from the labor force.

Immigration reform to support the industry includes legislation to create a special H-2C visa for nonagricultural industries. This legislation has yet to be introduced to the 119th Congress.

“We also support legislation to improve and expand the H-2B seasonal visa program and were pleased to see the House Appropriations Committee recently approve an amendment advancing this goal,” National Roofing Contractors Association officials said.

Surprising Party Lines

Graphs courtesy of Gallup

In 2024, 88% of Republicans wanted immigration to decrease. That number is now at 48%, down 40 percentage points. Republicans who want immigration to increase rose from 4% in 2024 to 11%. According to Gallup's data, Republican support for more immigration peaked at 18% in 2018.

For Republicans wishing to see immigration kept at present levels, the number rose from 4% in 2024 to 36%.

In general, Democrats favor immigration, with 44% saying they want it increased, compared to 24% in 2024. Those wishing it to decrease dropped from 28% to 16%, and those wanting it to remain at present levels went from 42% to 35%.

Independents generally favor keeping it at present levels, with 40% wanting this as the status quo versus 27% in 2024. Those wanting it to decrease dropped from 51% to 30%, and those wanting it to increase rose from 17% to 23%.

Overall, border encounters have decreased. In June 2024, the total number of apprehensions at U.S. borders was 87,606. In June 2025, that number was 8,024, according to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Immigration Policies

Graphs courtesy of Gallup

Support for allowing immigrants brought into the U.S. as children to become citizens rose from 81% in 2024 to 85% this year. Similarly, favor for allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to become citizens rose from 70% to 78%.

President Donald Trump campaigned on removing dangerous criminals living illegally in the U.S. However, the administration’s immigration crackdown has resulted in arresting and deporting immigrants without criminal records.

These actions may have spurred a shift in how people view a policy of deporting all undocumented immigrants, support for which fell from 47% to 38%.

The Trump administration has worked to remove Temporary Protected Status for immigrants, and a January 2025 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program as unlawful but permitted current recipients to continue renewing their status. The NRCA has supported efforts to modify both TPS and DACA to become a path to citizenship for qualified individuals.

A new question in this year’s poll asked whether people favor denying alleged gang members living in the U.S. illegally the ability to become citizens. This received a 50% approval from respondents.

The "Big Beautiful Bill" includes unprecedented spending for immigration enforcement, allotting $170 billion for building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and similar projects. About $75 billion of that funding is for Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts and infrastructure. The boost will likely result in additional jobsite disruptions, labor issues and uncertainty for roofing companies.

RELATED: 37 Arrested During Immigration Raid at Wash. Roofing Company

Among the sharpest declines in the Gallup poll was the attitude toward hiring more Border Patrol agents, which dropped by 17 percentage points to 59% this year. The drop is largely from fewer Democrats and independents favoring the policy.

Support for constructing walls along the U.S.-Mexico border fell from 53% to 45%. The decline stems from more independents veering away from the initiative.

Republican support for hiring more Border Patrol agents and building a border wall remains high at 91% and 88%, respectively.

Overall, the polls show the majority disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration. A total of 35% approve of his handling of the issue, while 62% disapprove. These results skew partisan: 85% of Republicans and 28% of independents approve of Trump’s handling of immigration. Conversely, 97% of Democrats and 79% of independents disapprove.

Hispanic Support

Graphs courtesy of Gallup

Ninety-one percent of Hispanic adults say they want to allow immigrants living illegally in the U.S. to become citizens, compared to 78% of U.S. adults — a 13-percentage point difference.

Given that nearly a third of the roofing workforce is Hispanic, the strong support among Hispanic Americans for pathways to citizenship reflects not just national opinion, but the sentiment of many roofing workers.

A total of 43% favor hiring more Border Patrol agents, compared to 59% of U.S. adults. Similar disparities are seen with the policy of deporting all undocumented immigrants living illegally in the U.S. to their home country. Only 23% of Hispanic adults favor this policy, compared to 38% of U.S. adults.

At 21%, Hispanic Americans’ approval of Trump’s immigration tactics is 14 points below the national average, according to the poll. Of note is that 39% of Hispanic adults approve of decreasing immigration compared to 30% of U.S. adults.