WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Two-thirds of California voters disapprove of President Trump\u2019s immigration policies and a majority believe those policies are discriminating against Latinos, according to a new poll. <\/p>\n
Nearly half of the voters said they were concerned that they, a family member or a close friend could be detained because of Trump\u2019s immigration policies.<\/p>\n
The findings of the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, released Wednesday, show that most Californians haven\u2019t budged on their thoughts about the president\u2019s approach to immigration since he returned to office. A poll last August similarly showed strong disapproval of the Trump administration\u2019s approach to immigration enforcement. <\/p>\n
The poll, which was conducted for the Los Angeles Times, showed the usual division along party lines when voters were asked whether they trust the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whether agents should wear masks while on duty, and whether Latinos are being discriminated against. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis suggests that a significant number of voters see ICE infringement on the individual rights of the undocumented as also potentially leading to broader infringements on citizens\u2019 rights,\u201d said G. Cristina Mora, co-director of the institute and a sociology professor at UC Berkeley who studies race and immigration.<\/p>\n
\u201cLatino voters also seem to particularly worry about the way that racism is motivating current immigration practices,\u201d she said, which is likely tied to the Supreme Court\u2019s approval of immigration agents detaining people on the basis of their perceived race, ethnicity, language or occupation. <\/p>\n
The overall disapproval among voters of Trump\u2019s immigration policies \u2014 64% \u2014 was down a bit from the August poll, in which 69% of respondents said they disapproved of how immigration enforcement was being carried out in California. <\/p>\n
Republicans appear to be more approving of immigration policies now, with 86% saying they approve of Trump\u2019s immigration policies \u2014 up from 79% approval of enforcement <\/a>in California last August. <\/p>\n Mora said the tilt among California Republicans toward the Trump administration could be due, in part, to the framing of the question, which asked about \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s immigration policies.\u201d <\/p>\n Any time Trump\u2019s name is included, Republicans are more likely to agree with him, she said. The same effect is seen when asking about other issues, such as the economy. <\/p>\n Another factor could be the timing, Mora said. Last summer, federal agents conducted widespread raids in Los Angeles <\/a>before moving on to target other cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis. <\/p>\n Now that the administration has shifted away from some tactics that resulted in escalations of violence, Republicans are \u201cfalling in line\u201d again with the administration, she said. <\/p>\n \u201cMy hunch is it was shocking,\u201d Mora said of the immigration raids last summer. \u201cThings have normalized because the tension is somewhere else.\u201d <\/p>\n