Washington (AP) Many Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders want the government to focus on immigration this year, but a recent poll found that they are polarized on what President-elect Donald Trump should do when he returns to the White House.
Although Trump’s popularity among AAPI adults seems to have grown since before the election, the majority still hold a negative opinion of him, according to a survey released Wednesday by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Additionally, there isn’t much agreement on one of his main immigration proposals: Four out of ten AAPI adults are in favor of deporting all illegal immigrants now residing in the United States, while a similar percentage are against the concept and the remaining individuals are indifferent.
The survey is a component of an ongoing research that examines the perspectives of Pacific Islanders, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians—views that are typically overlooked in previous surveys due to limited sample sizes and linguistic representation.
Trump’s inauguration is less than a week away from the findings. Beginning on his first day in office, he is preparing a shock-and-awe campaign that will include over 100 executive orders on border security, deportations, and other programs. Depending on their political membership, state politicians are pledging to either support or oppose Trump’s agenda.
Over the past year, AAPI adults have made immigration a higher priority. According to the survey, almost 40% of respondents ranked immigration and border concerns as one of the top five topics the federal government should address in 2025, compared to roughly 30% who stated that they should be a major priority in 2024. The percentage of American people who support government action on immigration and border issues has increased similarly. About one-third of Americans wanted immigration to be a top priority in 2024, compared to about half who wanted it to be a priority this year.
Supporting the deportation of individuals who entered the country illegally does not make one anti-immigrant, according to 38-year-old Calvin Do. Do, a Seattle native, was once a Democrat and has spent his entire life in blue states. Chinese and Vietnamese Americans became Libertarians more than ten years ago, and they lean conservative on the majority of policy concerns. Do stated that while he understands the desire for a better life, he feels that unlawfully entering the country is disrespectful to those like his immigrant parents.
There exist individuals who possess exceptional talent, intelligence, and kindness. However, the point is that you did it incorrectly, Do said.
Karthick Ramakrishnan, the founder and executive director of AAPI Data, says one concern is whether AAPI adults’ interests will change or if the emphasis on immigration will continue.Although AAPI adults’ opinions toward illegal immigrants in the United States were comparable to those of the general public, they were more inclined than the general population to see advantages from legal immigration, according to a September AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll.
According to Ramakrishnan, one crucial area of Asian American public opinion to monitor over the next four years is whether or not these issues’ priorities and commitments begin to change. There does appear to be a change in immigration.
According to Ramakrishnan, Republican governors in Texas and Florida busing and flying immigrants to cities in Democratic-led states may have contributed to the escalation of immigration as a topic, as may the rhetoric surrounding immigration during the presidential election.
However, AAPI adults still do not prioritize immigration. around three out of ten AAPI adults want to see action on climate change, and around three-quarters of them, like all U.S. adults, want the government to prioritize the economy in 2025. According to the survey, over 50% of AAPI individuals believe that in 2025, abortion and reproductive rights could be seriously threatened.
The 32-year-old Nilay Patel wants the government to focus on issues like reproductive rights, climate change, and inflation. Patel, an Indian American who votes Democratic and lives in Chicago, stated that he doesn’t feel particularly impacted by immigration or the border.
He noted that while he is not against deporting those who are in the country illegally, large deportations must be handled cautiously. According to Patel, it must be restrained by truly considering what you’re doing rather than just indiscriminately scooping up everybody who appears to be an immigrant.
According to the research, AAPI people have mixed feelings about Trump’s return to power, although they are feeling slightly better about him than they did before the election. Trump’s popularity among AAPI adults seems to have risen by roughly ten percentage points since the election, although roughly 60% of them still have a negative opinion of him. Approximately 40% of AAPI people who were thinking about Trump’s second term responded that the word “fearful” best describes their feelings. Regarding the word angry, around one-third of respondents said this. About two out of ten AAPI adults reported feeling happy or thrilled.
Approximately two out of ten Republicans, including AAPI Republicans, expressed concern of another Trump term.
Do claimed that because he now finds politics too tough to talk about, he hasn’t observed if anyone in his family has become more conservative or progressive after the election.
Do remarked, “I hate to see people tearing each other apart.” Every group has advantages. Every group has shortcomings. All we have to do is figure out where we can agree.