EL PASO, TEXAS — A poll released Tuesday by the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition (PIF) finds that four fifths (83%) of Americans support health and social services for lawfully present immigrants. PIF worked with the research firm PerryUndem to develop the poll, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and fielded by NORC in early March. Supermajorities supported access to programs that meet basic needs across party lines, including 92% of Democrats, 84% of Independents, and 74% of Republicans.
“At a time when Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on the day of the week, they overwhelmingly agree that lawfully present immigrants should be able to get the care and help they need,” said PIF executive director Adriana Cadena.
Specifically, the poll asked if respondents agreed or disagreed with the statement “Noncitizens who are in the U.S. legally (such as people with green cards) and who pay U.S. taxes should be able to get help with things like food and healthcare when they go through hard times.”
Other findings included:
- By a 3:1 margin (55% to 18%), Americans back reversing health care cuts targeting immigrants, including 78% of Democrats, 52% of Independents, and 35% of Republicans
- Most Americans (58%) oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using Medicaid data to inform deportation efforts, including 86% of Democrats, 61% of Independents, and 27% of Republicans
- Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, including 92% of Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 27% of Republicans
- Majorities of Americans oppose immigration enforcement actions at
- Schools – 68% overall, 92% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and 38% of Republicans
- Hospitals – 60% overall, 87% of Democrats, 63% of Independents, and 29% of Republicans
- Clinics – 58% overall, 86% of Democrats, 61% of Independents, and 27% of Republicans, and
- Social services nonprofits – 54% overall, 83% of Democrats, 56% of Independents, and 22% of Republicans
- Majorities are concerned that enforcement actions are harming U.S. citizens in immigrant families – specifically
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- Avoiding needed hospital care – 70% overall, 91% of Democrats, 73% of Independents, and 48% of Republicans
- Experiencing hunger – 69% overall, 90% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 48% of Republicans
- Avoiding safety net services for which they qualify – 64% overall, 89% of Democrats, 65% of Independents, and 38% of Republicans
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“The American people get it,” said Cadena. “Responsible immigration policy doesn’t turn schools and hospitals into immigration checkpoints, it doesn’t weaponize personal health data, and it doesn’t target U.S. citizens.”
“This study demonstrates significant public disagreement with aggressive immigration enforcement that violates human dignity and denies immigrants access to basic needs,” said Jennifer Ng’andu, a managing director with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “A majority understands that terrorizing immigrants is not only wrong and counterproductive, it diminishes our nation’s character and robs us of our humanity.”
The survey was fielded using NORC’s nationally representative AmeriSpeak Omnibus from March 5 to 8, 2026. The survey included 1,133 nationally representative U.S. adults age 18 and older. The margin of sampling error for the total results is ± 4.01 percentage points.
