Concern about being deported grew from March to June 2025 among US adults

About a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) say they worry a lot or some that they or someone close to them could be deported, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this month. That’s up slightly from 19% in March. This comes as the Trump administration increases immigration arrests and deportations.

How we did this

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand how concerned Americans are that they themselves, a family member or a close friend could be deported. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,044 adults from June 2 to June 8, 2025, in English and Spanish. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection.

Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education, presidential vote (among voters) and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.

To determine respondents’ immigrant generation, we used 4,590 responses from a survey of 9,201 adults conducted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 11, 2024. Everyone who took part is also a member of the ATP. These results are weighted following the same process that was used for the full sample. For more information, please refer to the August 2024 survey’s methodology.

This analysis also uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the 2024 Current Population Survey. The data was provided through IPUMS from the University of Minnesota.

The term immigrants, when referring to survey respondents, refers to those born outside the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. When referring to Census Bureau data, this group includes those who were not U.S. citizens at birth – in other words, those born outside the 50 U.S. states or D.C., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories to parents who were not U.S. citizens.

The term U.S. born, when referring to survey respondents, refers to people born in the 50 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. When referring to Census Bureau data, this group includes those who were U.S. citizens at birth, including people born in the 50 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories, as well as those born elsewhere to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen.

Second generation refers to people who are U.S. born with at least one immigrant parent.

Third or higher generation refers to people who are U.S. born with both parents who are U.S. born.

References to White, Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Views of Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.

The terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably. Hispanics and Latinos are of any race.

A line chart showing that U.S. adults are increasingly worried they or someone close to them could be deported.

Immigrants are more likely than U.S.-born adults to worry about deportations impacting them, their family or close friends. About four-in-ten immigrants (43%) say they worry a lot or some, up from 33% in March.

Meanwhile, 34% of U.S.-born adults with at least one immigrant parent (second generation) are worried about deportations, as are 17% of those with U.S.-born parents (third or higher generation).

About three-in-ten U.S. residents (28%) are immigrants or are U.S. born and have at least one immigrant parent. In 2024, immigrants made up 15% of the country’s population, and second-generation Americans were another 13%, according to a Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. That amounts to an estimated 93 million people.

Overall, a majority of U.S. adults say they either don’t worry much (18%) or at all (58%) that they or someone close to them could be deported.

The most recent survey was fielded June 2-8. That partially overlapped with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in predominantly Latino communities in Southern California and protests in Los Angeles and across the country. More recently, President Donald Trump ordered stronger efforts in some major American cities to detain and deport immigrants living in the country illegally.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be concerned that deportations will impact them, their family or close friends

More Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are worried about deportations now than three months ago (35% in June vs. 27% in March). Fewer Republicans and Republican leaners worry about this, and their concern hasn’t changed in recent months (10% in both June and March).

Line charts showing that a rising share of Democrats worry they or someone close could be deported.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry about this among both immigrant and U.S.-born adults.

Among immigrant adults:

50% of Democrats worry they or someone close to them might be deported, up from 38% in March.
31% of Republicans say the same, compared with 24% in March.

Among U.S.-born adults:

32% of Democrats worry they or someone close to them might be deported, up from 25% in March.
8% of Republicans say the same, equal to the share who expressed concern in March.

Deportation concerns rise across racial and ethnic groups

Between March and June, worry about deportations increased across racial and ethnic groups.

A bar chart showing that, across racial and ethnic groups, concern about deportations has increased from March to June 2025.

Latinos are more likely than other groups to worry that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported. Roughly half (47%) now express some or a lot of concern, up slightly from March (42%).

Meanwhile, 29% of English-speaking Asian adults, 26% of Black adults and 15% of White adults currently say they are concerned about this.

This increase in worry about deportations across racial and ethnic groups is driven by growing concern among Democrats:

Line charts showing that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry about deportation regardless of race or ethnicity.

56% of Latino Democrats are worried they or someone they’re close to could be deported, compared with 49% in March.
40% of Asian Democrats express this worry, up from 22%.
29% of White Democrats now say this, up from 21%.
28% of Black Democrats express this concern, up from 21%.

The shares of Hispanic, Asian and White Republicans who are concerned that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported is virtually unchanged since March. (There were not enough Black Republicans in our sample to analyze their views separately.)

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.