CNN’s own senior data reporter, Harry Enten, admitted Monday what the mainstream media has long tried to downplay: President Donald Trump’s approval rating on immigration has skyrocketed.
Polling shows Trump is now in positive territory on the issue that once dragged down his numbers.
“It’s gone up like a rocket,” Enten said, noting that Trump’s net approval has jumped over 20 points since 2017.
Back then, Trump was deeply underwater on immigration at -21 points.
Today, he’s in the black at +1 and climbing, according to Enten’s aggregate analysis.
This dramatic shift comes as Trump takes decisive action in Los Angeles, deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to restore order after riots erupted in response to ICE operations that netted dozens of criminal illegal aliens — most convicted of second-degree murder, assault with intent to commit rape, and other violent felonies.
Rioters vandalized property, torched cars, and hurled Molotov cocktails while chanting slogans like “KILL ICE.”
Rather than condemn the violence, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, lashed out at Trump, accusing him of overreach.
The remarks came even as many Californians expressed relief that someone was finally stepping in.
Enten cited CBS News polling showing that a majority of Americans (54%) support Trump’s mass deportation plans.
Further, 51% support ICE actively operating in local communities to locate and detain illegal aliens.
And crucially, Enten emphasized that Americans directly affected by the chaos in Los Angeles overwhelmingly back Trump’s actions.
“It’s not just the broad issue,” Enten said.
“It’s the specifics. Trump is above 50% approval on deportations, on ICE raids — especially with those most connected to what’s happening on the ground.”
Polling from Ipsos shows the GOP has a 19-point advantage over Democrats on who Americans trust to handle immigration — a chasm that’s only widening.
Even CNN and CBS admit Republicans are up 6 points nationally on the issue.
That represents a major political liability for Democrats heading into the next election.
“No matter which way you slice it, the public is with Trump,” Enten said.
“And more so than ever before.”
WATCH:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that ICE’s targeted arrests focused on violent criminal offenders, not ordinary migrants.
And yet the violent left-wing backlash exposed just how unhinged the resistance to enforcement has become.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, warned that raids will continue, and any officials who obstruct ICE could face prosecution.
The president took it a step further, saying he “would arrest Newsom” if he were Homan.
He called the California governor “a nice guy who’s grossly incompetent.”
For Trump, immigration has gone from political vulnerability to powerful wedge issue, particularly as his campaign makes new inroads with working-class Hispanics and independents.
In 2024, Trump became the first Republican in decades to win the popular vote, and the first to win the Hispanic male vote.
For years, the left has tried to redefine illegal immigration as a civil rights issue.
But Americans are no longer fooled by semantics or slogans.
The chaos in Los Angeles has reminded the country what happens when laws aren’t enforced and why voters are increasingly turning to Trump for solutions.
READ MORE – Illegal Alien Gang Caught Smuggling $5.5 Million Worth of Meth in San Diego
