Toward balanced immigration enforcement
This week, as a U.S. Senate committee held confirmation hearings and advanced the nomination of a new head of the Department of Homeland Security, the department itself entered Month 2 of a partial shutdown and funding freeze.
This juxtaposition highlights what Americans repeatedly say are among the country鈥檚 top 鈥減roblems鈥� 鈥� 鈥減oor鈥� government leadership and the issues surrounding immigration.
Currently, congressional Democrats refuse to approve full DHS funding, unless their Republican peers and the White House agree to key changes in immigrant detention and deportation tactics. These include banning face coverings for agents and requiring body cameras and judicial warrants to enter private property.
Both sides blame each other for the impasse 鈥� and its impact on DHS services such as airport security and emergency management.
However, among voters, cross-partisan views on immigration issues may be starting to overlap 鈥� and could help point elected representatives toward workable compromises, if not consensus. Even as around 60% of Americans feel that recent immigration enforcement tactics have 鈥済one too far,鈥� they hold nuanced views on upholding immigration laws, alongside compassion. A significant portion wants to ensure due process for migrants that respects their humanity.
Polls show that voters across political parties support deporting immigrants who have committed a serious crime. About 56% of Republicans say they want all unauthorized immigrants deported, but only 8% of Democrats want that. A much larger share of Democrats and independent voters prefer not to deport undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for years, arrived as a child, or committed a minor infraction.
These views are reflected in a draft immigration reform bill in Congress, the Dignity Act of 2025. To date, the proposal has bipartisan support from 19 House Republicans and 20 Democrats and from 75 groups representing business, religious, and community organizations. The Dignity Act would not offer citizenship to the estimated 14 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. But it would open pathways to legal residency over a period of several years (and after payment of penalties), and streamline asylum and other processes.
At his Wednesday hearing to be DHS chief, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin stated he would revoke the policy allowing federal immigration officers to enter private property without a judicial warrant. He also said one of his aims was 鈥渢hat we鈥檙e not in the lead [news] story every day,鈥� as was the case under his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Targeted immigration actions that operate within legal and policy bounds can help allay Americans鈥� concerns about overly aggressive enforcement. As a group of faith leaders told listeners in Richmond, Virginia, in late February, 鈥淲e must be able to uphold the law while refusing to dehumanize those who live under its penalties.鈥�
