At a time when American politics often feel defined by division, new polling we released last month from the Refugee Advocacy Lab, Refugees International and Data for Progress reveals something remarkable.
Across party lines, Americans still believe in the value of offering refuge to people fleeing danger.
This data shows that more than two-thirds of voters support a U.S. refugee resettlement program that brings people seeking safety to our shores. That includes 79% of Democrats, 68% of independents and — perhaps most surprisingly — 59% of Republicans.
Why, then, is Washington moving in the opposite direction?
The polling comes as the Trump administration announced on Oct. 30 that it is slashing the resettlement program to welcome just 7,500 people in the coming fiscal year. To put that in context, that is a nearly 95% reduction from last year’s target — and half the lowest ceiling set in Trump’s first term. No president other than Trump, Republican or Democrat alike, has ever set a refugee goal below 60,000.
The numbers only tell part of the story of this policy retreat, however. The administration says people who will be admitted to the United States through the resettlement program will be “primarily” white South Africans, or Afrikaners, a group that by no measure is fleeing persecution.
This leaves behind tens of thousands of refugees abroad who the United States previously vetted and approved to resettle and unite with family. This includes Afghan women and allies who supported American troops and are at threat in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Taliban takeover.
It also includes people who fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rohingya genocide survivors and political dissidents from Venezuela. This sharply restrictive stance puts lives in danger, separates families and undermines our national commitments.
The polling makes clear this retreat is not being driven by the American public. Voters are not asking Washington to slam the door on refugees.
Refugee resettlement is only part of the picture. Our polling also found broad public opposition to several other administration policies that undermine access to safety in the United States.
Take the issue of asylum for people fleeing gender-based violence. More than two-thirds of voters said they believe the United States should consider granting asylum to women and girls fleeing violence, including domestic violence. This belief spans political affiliations: 80% of Democrats, 67% of independents and 59% of Republicans said they agree. Yet the Department of Justice recently instructed immigration judges to reverse this very practice, closing the door on women and girls whose lives may depend on it.
Support for basic fairness in immigration extends beyond access to asylum and taking people in danger into the country; Americans oppose actions that would return vulnerable individuals to more dangerous situations.
We found that 65% of voters said they oppose deporting immigrants to countries where they have never lived and where their safety cannot be guaranteed. That includes nearly half of Republican voters. Americans understand intuitively that banishing people — many of whom grew up here, attend our schools, and work in our communities — to unfamiliar and unsafe countries is not only cruel but also contrary to community safety and the values we uphold.
Voters also oppose deporting people who arrived legally under humanitarian programs, like Afghans who assisted U.S. forces, Ukrainians fleeing war, and Haitians and Venezuelans escaping the collapse of their countries.
Respondents also oppose allowing ICE arrests in previously protected places — schools, churches, hospitals — places where people should never fear that seeking education, prayer or medical care could lead to arrest and deportation.
Taken together, it is clear that the American public believes in common-sense policies that uphold fairness, compassion and the rule of law.
Our polling also highlights something else hopeful: When respondents say they personally know a refugee, support for resettlement jumps 15 points — to an overwhelming 84%.
This reinforces what we see every day in communities across the country. When Americans encounter refugees as coworkers, classmates and friends, fear gives way to understanding and support.
That is fortified by the fact that the case for welcoming people who are seeking safety is not just a moral but also a practical one. For decades, our economy, labor force and the well-being of communities nationwide have been bolstered — and often revitalized — by newcomers.
Over the last 15 years, refugees paid over $581 billion in taxes. More than 75% of immigrants and refugees are of working age (compared to just 58% of the American-born population), contributing to Medicare and Social Security programs that help support all Americans.
In fact, a recent study from the National Foundation for American Policy reveals that the Trump administration’s current immigration policies put the country on a trajectory to remove 6.8 million projected workers from the labor force by 2028, reducing the U.S. gross domestic product by $1.9 trillion from 2025 to 2028 and increasing federal debt by $252 billion by 2028.
These are people with essential roles powering food production, taking care of our loved ones and so much more.
Washington must take note: The U.S. public wants common-sense policies that reflect our nation’s values, not a race to the bottom. It is time for our leaders to chart a different course — grounded in compassion, practicality, and the broad, bipartisan consensus that offering refuge is not only the right thing to do, but the American thing to do.