Poll: Gen Z Republicans show greater moderation on immigration than their elders

NEW YORK CITY - As presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump— and his avid followers— take a harsh stance on immigration and toughen up on their rhetoric for an eventual administration, young Republicans seem to be more moderate than the elders in the party in relation to that issue, according to a new Axios survey.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has accused migrants of "poisoning the blood of the country," of invading the country, and claimed that most immigrants crossing the border are criminals, even referring to them as "animals".

But this message is not necessarily resonating with younger party members.

According to the Axios Vibes survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, Gen Z Republicans are likely to support more legal pathways for immigration. Similarly, they're more likely to question negative narratives about immigrants than older generations.

They're also less likely than Boomer and Gen X Republicans to back some of Trump's most aggressive plans to crack down on illegal immigration.

One of those tactics is mass deportations. Throughout his reelection bid, the former President has pledged to carry out "the largest deportation operation in American history" and remove an estimated 10.5 million undocumented people in the United States— two-thirds of whom have lived in the country for more than a decade.

In a recent Time Magazine interview, he also said he would use National Guard troops to assist in his planned deportation efforts, but also did not rule out deploying active military forces to help.

"I don't think I'd have to do that. I think the National Guard would be able to do that. If they weren't able to, then I'd use the military," he said in the interview.

When it comes to these plans, less than half of young Republicans said they would want mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and closing the border down entirely. Conversely, around three quarters of Republican Gen X and Boomer respondents expressed support for those plans, according to Axios.

Nevertheless, Gen Z Republicans are still more concerned about immigration overall than their counterparts with other political identities.

According to the survey, 63% of Gen Z Republicans said illegal immigration is a problem for U.S. communities, compared to 39% of Gen Z Democrats.

In addition, 61% of Gen Z Republicans believe illegal immigration is linked to crime spikes, compared to 45% of Gen Z Democrats.

The study comes as immigration becomes a top salient issue ahead of this year's general elections.

Migrants crossing the southern border have decreased more than 40% since December and have remained relatively stable through the first four months of 2024. In April, U.S. border agents encountered about 130,00 migrants entering illegally from Mexico, a level that is high by historical standards but lower than February and March, according to U.S. enforcement data obtained by The Washington Post.