Understanding Hispanic Voters’ Immigration Priorities in the 2024 Election

Much has been said in this election about Hispanic voters, with many headlines and reports trying to characterize this electorate and how and why we voted. For instance, Republicans made historic gains among Hispanic voters, but some analysts have wrongly linked this to support for mass deportations. That correlation is a mistake. 

UnidosUS’s polling has consistently shown the most potent driver for voters in the election was economic discontent, expressed in Trump’s gains with most demographics. These surveys include three of the most robust polls of Hispanic voters this cycle, two conducted prior to the election and the last one — the 2024 American Electorate Poll of Hispanic Voters — surveying 3,750 Latino voters who cast a ballot in the 2024 election.¹ 

If there is a mandate, it’s on addressing these concerns from Latinos and the broader electorate: raise wages and bring down the cost of food, housing and health care. When it comes to immigration, our newest poll again confirms what Latino voters have consistently said in previous polls: they want relief for the long-residing undocumented, not mass deportations of their families and neighbors. 

Pocketbook Issues Impacted a Latino Electorate Hit Hard by Rising Costs 

Pocketbook issues related to the struggles for paying for the rising costs for basic goods, housing and health care defined the Latino vote in 2024. As Figure 1 shows, cost of living/inflation, jobs and the economy, housing costs and affordibility, and health care costs formed the top four priorities for the respondents of the 2024 American Electorate Poll of Hispanic Voters. 

Figure 1: Most Important Issue for Congress and the President  

Struggling to make ends meet has been a defining issue for Latino voters in recent years. Previous UnidosUS polling has found that Latino voters have consistently cited inflation as their top priority, including its 2022 National Survey of Latino Voters, its 2023 poll of of the Latino electorate and its 2024 Pre-Election Poll of the Hispanic Electorate. 

Relief — Not Mass Deportations — Continues to Be a Priority for Latino Voters 

The 2024 American Electorate poll reaffirmed findings from UnidosUS’s and other polls previous findings, that show Latino voters prioritize relief for the long-residing undocumented — not mass deportations — irrespective of the individual who received their vote at the top of the electoral ticket. 

First, the poll found at the national level, 73% of respondents supported candidates who promoted an immigration approach that included a path to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants working and living in the country, a support level that largely extended to key states with large Latino populations (Figure 2). 

Figure 2: Consider these two candidates who have different views on immigration issues. Please indicate whether you would be more likely to vote for Candidate A or more likely to vote for Candidate B 

In contrast, only 24% supported candidates whose immigration platforms included deporting all undocumented immigrants, including ones who have lived and worked in the U.S. for more than 10 years and have families in the country. 

The poll also found the respondents had major reservations about policy agendas that promote mass deportations as a marquee item for its goals. As Figure 3 shows, 43% of respondents said they were “very worried” about an agenda that includes mass deportations and 19% said they were “worried.” 

Figure 3: The following are things people might say about American politics today. For each item, indicate if you are worried or not worried 

These responses indicate that Latino voters did not give lawmakers a carte blanche to pursue these kinds of hardline measures when they cast their ballots in November.2 

The poll also found this group wants lawmakers to take active steps to protect undocumented individuals and promote family unity in the legal immigration system. As Figure 4 shows, 44% of respondents “strongly support” and 37% “support” Congress passing a law that provides permanent protection to these individuals. 

Figure 4: Providing “permanent legal status to undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for a very long time, including Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. as children” 

Nearly equal percentages of the respondents supported the Executive Branch issuing an executive order that provides the same protections if Congress fails to act on this issue. In short, Latino voters who have consistently seen lawmakers fail to deliver for the undocumented for decades will entertain any proposal to provide a path to economic and personal security for these individuals. 

Conclusion: On Immigration, The Dividing Line For Latino Voters Is Cruelty — And a Supermajority Opposes Mass Deportations 

The supermajority support for a balanced approach to immigration in our polling demonstrates that even for many Latino Trump supporters, mass deportations are a bridge too far. This is consistent with our previous polls’ findings that Latino voters prioritize relief for the long-residing undocumented and cracking down on human traffickers and drug smugglers. 

To be clear, there is a mandate from Latino voters from this election: raise wages and lower the costs of basic necessities, housing and healthcare. As we look ahead to 2025, legislators, candidates and politicians should respond to that mandate and beware of claiming support for extreme policies if they aim to maintain or expand support from this growing electorate.