CNN’s own data analyst says President Donald Trump is now winning over one of the most surprising voter blocs: legal immigrants.
On Wednesday, CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten revealed that immigrant citizens, who once overwhelmingly favored Democrats on immigration, have swung 40 points to the right since 2020.
In a striking reversal, the GOP now leads Democrats by 8 points on the issue of immigration among this group.
“Immigrant citizens, immigrant voters and foreign-born voters have gone tremendously to the right on this issue in 2024 and 2025 versus where they were in 2020,” Enten said during a segment on CNN News Central. “Democrats held a 32-point lead on this issue. Jump forward to 2024 and 2025 — look at that shift!”
The data shows that support for Trump among immigrant voters has surged, climbing from 36% in 2016 to 47% in 2024. Even more notably, legal immigrants have become more hawkish on illegal immigration, with a net favorability rating of -6 points for illegal immigrants, down from +23 in 2020.
Enten said immigrants themselves are increasingly backing Trump’s stricter policies. “There may be all this stuff right now on undocumented immigrants and Trump being harsh on them,” he said, “but immigrant voters themselves have increasingly liked Donald Trump and have increasingly moved to the right.”
That growing support among immigrants reflects a broader national trend. Enten noted that Trump’s overall approval rating on immigration has jumped from -21% in 2017 to +1% today — a 22-point gain.
A CBS News poll found 54% of Americans support Trump’s new mass deportation orders, and 51% approve of ICE conducting operations inside U.S. communities.
“Trump is begging for a fight on this because he knows what he’s doing so far is working with the American electorate,” Enten said. “It’s not just on the broad issue of immigration where Trump is doing well — it’s on the specifics.”
That political momentum has emboldened the president to take decisive action. Over the weekend, Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after ICE agents arrested more than a hundred illegal immigrants with criminal records, including charges of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted rape.
The arrests triggered violent protests across the city, with demonstrators vandalizing buildings and attacking police. Rioters reportedly set vehicles on fire and spray-painted anti-ICE slogans like “KILL ICE” on federal buildings.
Despite pushback from California Democrats — including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of “manufacturing a crisis” — the White House defended the response as necessary to restore order and support federal law enforcement.
The data suggests Trump’s immigration crackdown is not only popular with his base but is now resonating with voters far beyond it, including the very immigrant communities the media often claims he alienates.