Americans are divided over President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the military in response to protests against his immigration policies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll revealed that 48% of respondents supported using the military to bring order to the streets during violent protests, while 41% disagreed. Support for the military intervention was largely divided along partisan lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.
Despite this division, only 35% of respondents approved of Trump’s response to the protests in Los Angeles, where National Guard troops and U.S. Marines were sent, and Democratic officials were threatened with arrest. Additionally, 50% of people in the poll disapproved of Trump’s handling of the situation.
The protests, triggered by immigration raids, have spread to various U.S. cities with large immigrant populations that typically lean Democratic. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to increase deportations, has garnered consistent support on immigration policy, with 52% of respondents backing increased deportations in the poll.
However, opinions were split on Trump’s arrests of immigrants, with 49% believing he had gone too far. The poll also highlighted a general disapproval among Americans towards Trump’s threats to arrest Democratic officials who impede federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The protests in Los Angeles County, where a significant portion of the population is foreign-born, have been particularly intense. Overall, the poll surveyed 1,136 Americans and showed that views on Trump’s immigration policies varied widely across the nation.