Poll: Trump immigration and economic policies drive AAPI voters back to Democrats

In St. Paul Minnesota, ICE agents broke open a door and detained a Hmong elder in shorts and
 slippers in the middle of winter earlier this year.

As the Donald Trump regime ramps up its enforcement machine, a staggering 73% of AAPI adults now view ICE with pure unfavorability.

The latest dispatch from AAPI Data and the AP-NORC Center reveals a community under siege, with reports of AAPI deaths in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody and the separation of families, stomach-churning treatment of detainees—from being denied basic medical care to being held in dehumanizing conditions while awaiting deportation—casting a dark shadow over the community.

A solid 61% of AAPI folks say Trump’s hardline immigration and border policies have done nothing but cause harm, a sentiment that runs much deeper than the 42% seen in the general U.S. population. While the administration beats the drum of "security," the AAPI community sees it for what it is: a direct threat. In fact, 67% of our people believe these deportation tactics have gone way too far, especially when only 2 in 10 AAPI adults actually think rounding up undocumented immigrants should be a top priority for this government.

        FYI: Read the full report from AAPI Data and the AP-NORC Center.

Nearly three-quarters of AAPI adults report that the administration’s economic policies have actively hurt their ability to survive, with 8 in 10 feeling the squeeze of a rising cost of living that seems designed to leave us behind.

When ICE agents went to New York City's Chinatown, they were met passersby and
residents rotested their presence.

A massive 76% of AAPI adults believe the administration’s aggressive tariffs have crossed the line, with many fearing these trade barriers will do nothing but drive up the price of the basic goods we need to get through the day. Add to that the 62% who say the White House’s approach to the labor market has actually strangled job creation, and you have a recipe for a community that feels economically abandoned.

A legacy of uncertainty

Roughly 71% of AAPI adults think the administration has been far too quick to use the US military to intervene in other countries and this was before the US and Israel attacked Iran. 

This hawkishness, combined with a bleak economic outlook, has left a legacy of doubt: only 29% of our community believes the next generation will actually have a better life than their parents.

A massive 72% of AAPI adults hold an unfavorable view of Trmp, and that disdain extends down the line. Whether it’s JD Vance at 65% unfavorable, RFK Jr. at 59%, or Marco Rubio at 55%, the verdict from the AAPI community is clear: this leadership doesn't represent us, and it certainly isn't protecting us.

View from the edge

What the findings suggest is that the AAPI voters who had moved rightward in 2024 are re-evaluating their choice for President and moving from the right and undecided ranks back to the progressive and center. 

The survey conducted in February of this year counters the slew of articles and analyses from so-called experts giving the false impression that AAPI communities' slight shift  to the right was permanent. Instead, the recent poll indicates that a significant segment of AAPI voters are persuadable depending on recent developments.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.