CNN's Enten: There Has Been A Massive Shift On Immigration, The Majority Of Americans Believe Illegals Should Be Deported

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this hour, CNN has learned that refugees who were slated to travel to the United States after a year's long and tedious process, have now had their flights canceled. This is according to a State Department memo obtained by CNN. Another sign of President Trump's aggressive crackdown on immigration, an agenda that at least some parts appear to be in line with American's shifting attitudes on the issue.

CNN's Harry Enten has been looking at that for us. He's joining us now.

Let's start with how Americans feel now about people being in the country illegally. This is - this might be different from the headline we were just talking about, refugees who have applied and gotten - they've gone through this long process and gotten approved.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Right.

BOLDUAN: But talking about undocumented immigrants.

ENTEN: Yes. Sometimes I like blunt questions because they sort of get at the underlying feelings that people have. So, this is about as blunt a question as you can get, deport all immigrants here illegally? I will note, the ABC News poll asked about undocumented immigrants. So, we have slightly different questions. But these were all taken within the last month. And there's real uniformity here. That's what I really think you see, you see real uniformity. Deporting all immigrants who are here illegally, 55 percent in "The New York Times," Marquette, 64 percent, CBS News, 57 percent. ABC News, with a slightly different question, 56 percent. So, what you're seeing essentially here is a very clear indication that a majority of Americans, in fact, when they're asked this blunt question, which I believe gets at the underlying feelings, do, in fact, want to deport all immigrants who are here illegally. There's no arguing with these different numbers because they're all essentially the same across four different pollsters.

BOLDUAN: So, if they say, yes, today, ish, how has that changed over time?

ENTEN: Yes, this is where I think you get very interesting. And so we'll take a look at that ABC News question in particular because you can really see that there's been a massive shift from when Trump was first getting into office eight years ago, right, deport all undocumented immigrants. You go back to 2015, I'm going to come to your side of the screen.

BOLDUAN: Hello.

ENTEN: It was 42 percent. Hello. Go to 2016. It was 36 percent. Look at where we are now. This was taken at the end of last year, 56 percent. This is 20 points higher than it was just before Trump got into office the first time.

So, feelings towards immigration in this country, feelings towards undocumented immigrants and deporting all of them have become considerably more hawkish. And I think that gives Donald Trump much more leverage to go with the American people and sort of have these hawkish, some might say, harsh, different rhetoric and also issue based sort of going after immigrants who are here illegally. And so, I think the American people are going to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt to do what he wants to do, at least if you believe these blunt questions, including this one.

BOLDUAN: How about immigration levels?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. So, this sort of goes in line with that, right, which is, again, trying to get at the underlying feelings.

Want immigration levels decreased. This includes legal and illegal immigration. Look at this. Last year, 55 percent. That is the highest level since the 9/11 aftermath. You go back just to 2023 -

BOLDUAN: This - and this again, legal and illegal.

ENTEN: Legal and -

BOLDUAN: So, they want - people want less people coming into the country.

ENTEN: Exactly. They want people - less people coming into the country. Look at that. That's a 14-point rise from 2023. You go back to 2016, when Donald Trump, again, was running for president the first time, it was 38 percent. That's a 17-point rise.

So, the bottom line is, more folks want people who are here illegally deported and their overall feelings towards immigration have become considerably more hawkish since Donald Trump was first getting into office, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Harry.