A new YouGov survey finds that most Americans believe at least some U.S. citizens have been wrongfully detained at immigration detention centers. Americans are far more likely to believe the conditions at these detention centers are worse than conditions in U.S. prisons than to believe they're better, and many do not believe detainees' conditions do not include access to one or more of working toilets, more than one meal per day, legal representation, and medical care.
About two-thirds (64%) of Americans think that Donald Trump’s administration has wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in immigrant detention centers, including 40% who think they have done this to many people. Among citizens who are immigrants or whose parents were, 73% think the Trump administration has wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in immigrant detention centers.
92% of Democrats and 35% of Republicans think the Trump administration has wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in immigration detention centers — including 76% of Democrats and 6% of Republicans who think the administration has wrongfully detained many U.S. citizens.
About half (53%) of Americans think Trump’s approach to immigration policy is too harsh, while 36% think it is about right. Only 6% think it is too soft.
Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say Trump’s approach to immigration policy is about right (76% vs. 4%).
In April 2025, similar shares said Trump’s approach to immigration policy was too harsh (51%), about right (38%), and too soft (4%). 89% of Democrats and 11% of Republicans said Trump’s approach was too harsh.
Among citizens who are immigrants or whose parents were, 58% think Trump’s approach to immigration policy is too harsh.
A migrant detention facility surrounded by a wetland with alligators and crocodiles in the Florida Everglades has been nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. Americans are more likely to strongly or somewhat disapprove of the opening of this facility than to approve of it (53% vs. 35%). Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to disapprove of the opening of this detention center (86% vs. 19%).
People who have been detained at this facility have reported inhumane conditions at the site, including maggot-infested food, only one meal per day, no water for showering or bathing, toilets that don’t flush and subsequently flood the floors with waste, religious materials being confiscated, a lack of medical care, and denial of legal representation. The Department of Homeland Security and a spokesperson from the Florida Division of Emergency Management have denied these allegations.
Large majorities of Americans believe that people in immigration detention centers should have clean drinking water (97%), working toilets that flush (95%), running water for showers (94%), beds to sleep on (93%), more than one meal per day (93%), protection from physical harm (91%), and medical care (89%).
The only condition of 16 asked about in the survey that less than half of Americans say detainees should have access to is internet access (38%).
Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say detainees should have the ability to file public complaints about conditions (91% vs. 44%), internet access (60% vs. 13%), legal representation (91% vs. 49%), and phone calls with family members (93% vs. 62%).
Citizens who are immigrants or whose parents were are especially likely to say detainees should have access to phone calls with family members (88%). Fewer second-generation (74%) and third-generation (76%) immigrants say the same.
Far fewer Americans think that most people in U.S. immigration detention centers have access to the 16 conditions asked about than say they should be provided. Only 51% think that most detainees have access to clean drinking water; even less think they have access to beds to sleep on (46%), working toilets that flush (44%), more than one meal per day (43%), running water for showers (43%), or medical care (37%). 6% of Americans believe that most people in detention centers have access to all 16 of these things.
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to believe that most people in U.S. immigration detention centers have clean drinking water (80% vs. 25%), running water for showers (68% vs 19%), and working toilets that flush (67% vs. 22%).
About half (48%) of Americans — including 82% of Democrats and 11% of Republicans — think people in migrant detention centers are generally treated too harshly. 29% think they’re generally treated about right and 3% think they are not treated harshly enough.
39% of Americans believe that conditions in immigration detention centers are worse than conditions in U.S. prisons. Only 18% think the conditions are better; 24% think the conditions are about the same. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say they think conditions in immigration detention centers are better than in U.S. prisons (38% vs. 3%).
When the Trump administration is making decisions about immigrant detention centers, do Americans think the administration cares more about effectively enforcing immigration law or appearing tough on immigration? Americans are twice as likely to say the priority is appearing tough rather than effective enforcement (42% vs. 21%). 28% believe the administration cares about both equally. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say the Trump administration cares more about effectively enforcing immigration law (39% vs. 7%).
Far more Americans say immigrant detention centers should be owned and operated by the government exclusively (39%) or in most circumstances (18%) than by private companies only (1%) or in most circumstances (5%). 11% say immigrant detention centers should be owned and operated equally by the government and private companies.
Polling from April 2025 suggests similar sentiment around who should operate prisons: Far more Americans say prisons should be owned and operated by the government exclusively (33%) or in most circumstances (25%) than by private companies only (2%) or in most circumstances (5%). 18% think prisons should be owned and operated equally by the government and private companies.
Related:
- What do Americans think about immigrants? It depends on how you ask
- Immigration: What 2024 voters want and which candidate they trust
- Americans trust the Democratic Party more on health care and Republicans more on immigration
See the results for this YouGov survey
— Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this article
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted July 16 - 18, 2025, 2025 among 2,156 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3%.
Image: Getty
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