Most Americans OK with some moves to counter US immigration crackdown, survey shows

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A Pew Research Center national survey shows 74% support for recording immigration arrests, and 59% support for sharing locations of enforcement actions.
It also shows that 72% of respondents oppose efforts to check immigration status based on appearance or language spoken.
Survey results come amid protesting and heated debate about President Donald Trump's moves to crack down on illegal immigration.

SALT LAKE CITY — With heightened immigration enforcement action across the country, a new national survey shows that most people are OK with some of the efforts of protesters and others who have taken steps to counter the activity.

Those surveyed "overwhelmingly say it is acceptable for ordinary people to record video of immigration arrests. A clear majority also say it's acceptable for people to share information about where enforcement is happening," reads the report last week, based on a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

Utah hasn't been a high-profile focus of efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to detain and deport immigrants in the country like Minnesota. But immigration agents are in the state, and their activity has generated numerous protests in recent weeks, most recently a large demonstration Friday in downtown Salt Lake City.

Amid the activity, the Pew survey, released Thursday, shows that 74% of respondents think it's acceptable to record video of immigration officers in action. Video just last week of an enforcement action by Customs and Border Protection agents in West Valley City has garnered attention. Moreover, 59% say it's acceptable to share information about where immigration officers are arresting people, though respondents are split when divvied by political affiliation.

The administration of President Donald Trump has prioritized efforts to combat illegal immigration, garnering support from many who view immigrants in the country illegally as a threat to public safety and a drain on public resources. Others have variously clamored against the uptick in action as heavy-handed and defended immigrants as important to the economy and cultural fabric of the country.

The new survey by Pew, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization, offers a glimpse into the reaction all the activity has generated. Here are additional survey findings:

72% of respondents think it's unacceptable to check people's immigration status based on their appearance or the language they speak.
61% think it's unacceptable for immigration agents to wear face coverings when working. A measure proposed by a Democratic Utah lawmaker would have largely prohibited use of masks by agents in the state, but it has stalled in committee.
By political party, 89% of Democrats or those who lean Democratic say it's OK to record immigration agents compared to 59% of their Republican counterparts.
Sharing information about where immigration agents are operating is acceptable to 80% of Democrats or those leaning Democratic compared to just 36% on the GOP side.

Pew also surveyed respondents on their views of Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration:

62% of respondents favor maintaining "a large military" presence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump's efforts to beef up border security have led to a significant slowdown in efforts by immigrants to cross illegally into the country.
66% oppose moves to suspend efforts to apply for political asylum in the country, as pursued by the Trump administration.
64% oppose holding large numbers of immigrants in detention centers while their cases are decided. Talk of a detention center coming to Utah prompted opposition from some.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.