Americans see immigration as top issue for Trump to tackle, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans see immigration as the most pressing issue for President-elect Donald Trump to address, and a large majority believe he will order mass deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally, a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Thursday found.

But respondents to the two-day poll, conducted in the hours after the Republican clinched his election victory, were divided about his plans to expel large numbers of people.

Asked what Trump's top priority should be in the first 100 days following his Jan. 20 inauguration, 25% of respondents said he should prioritize immigration, a much larger share than any other issue. Some 14% of respondents said Trump should focus on income inequality, 12% said taxes and smaller shares picked healthcare, crime, jobs or the environment.

Some 82% of respondents in the poll considered it likely that Trump would order mass deportations, including similar shares of Democrats and Republicans. Many said they are concerned about the expected policy, including 82% of Democrats and 40% of independents. About nine in 10 Republicans said they were not concerned Trump could order mass deportations. 

Trump campaigned to return to the White House vowing a vast immigration crackdown, including a promise to deport record numbers of immigrants in an operation Trump’s running mate JD Vance estimated could remove 1 million people per year. 

During his campaign, Trump frequently called attention to crimes reportedly committed by immigrants lacking legal status, though numerous studies have shown immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans.

Trump backers - including some who could enter his second administration - anticipate the Republican will call on everyone from the U.S. military to diplomats overseas to turn the promise of mass deportations into reality. The effort would include cooperation with Republican-led states and using federal funding as leverage against resistant jurisdictions.

Immigrant advocates warn that Trump’s deportation effort would be costly, divisive and inhumane.

Trump told NBC News in an interview on Thursday that he would carry out his promise of mass deportations regardless of cost, saying, "It's not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice."

Americans are divided over the possible mechanics of mass deportations, such as whether they might involve detention camps. 

Some 58% of Republicans in the poll - but only 15% of Democrats - agreed with a statement the immigrants without authorization to be in the country should be "arrested and put in detention camps while awaiting deportation hearings." About 75% of Democrats opposed rounding up immigrants in that manner, as did 31% of Republicans.

Trump plans to use a 1798 wartime statute known as the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged gang members, an action that would almost certainly be challenged in court.

The law has been used three times, according to the Brennan Center for Justice: the War of 1812, World War One and World War Two, when it was employed to justify internment camps for people of Japanese, German and Italian descent.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,471 adults nationwide and the results had a margin of error of 3 percentage points for all respondents and 5 points for Republicans and Democrats. 

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Additional reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Scott Malone and Lisa Shumaker)