.png)
The Spring 2025 MRG Michigan Poll® shows a sharp shift in voter sentiment on immigration, with 50% of likely Michigan voters now approving of President Trump’s handling of the issue—more than double the 21% who approved of President Biden’s approach in 2024. The data highlights strong Republican support (92% approval) and deep Democratic opposition (82% disapproval), while Independents are evenly split. Regional and demographic divides are also evident, with support highest in Northern Lower Michigan and among men. As immigration and border security remain top concerns, these results signal the issue's growing influence in Michigan’s political landscape.
LANSING, Mich. –– President Trump campaigned strongly on immigration and securing the border, and today, the plurality of Michigan voters approves his handling of the issue. In the latest MRG-commissioned Michigan Poll®, conducted March 24th-28th, 50% of respondents approved while 42% disapprove of the President's performance.
These figures mark a significant shift from the Spring 2024 MRG Michigan Poll® that found 21% of voters approved and 65% disapproved of President Biden's handling of immigration issues. This contrasts significantly with the current figures for President Trump, which show considerably higher approval and lower disapproval ratings on the same issue. While 38% of voters strongly approve of President Trump's handling of immigration, only 7% strongly approved of President Biden's handling in the Spring 2024 poll. Furthermore, 52% strongly disapproved of President Biden’s immigration policies in Spring 2024, compared to 36% who strongly disapprove of President Trump’s immigration policies today.
“Immigration and securing the border was a priority issue on the campaign trail and, in the battleground state of Michigan, President Trump’s stance resonated with voters. He is receiving strong support for delivering on the issue in his first two months,” said Jenell Leonard, President of MRG.
Polarized Political Ideology Views
Views on President Trump's handling of immigration reveal a stark political divide. An overwhelming majority of Republicans (92%) approve of the job he is doing on the issue, while a similarly large majority of Democrats (82%) disapprove. Independents are evenly split, with 40% approving and 40% disapproving. Unlike Democrats and Republicans, a large portion of Independents— 20%—reported either neutrality or uncertainty.
Demographic and Regional Differences
Demographic breakdowns reveal further nuances. Approval differs notably by age group; it is highest among voters aged 50-64 (59% approve, 37% disapprove) and lowest among those aged 18-34, where disapproval (49%) outweighs approval (42%). Geographically, approval levels vary across the state, with support highest in Northern Lower Michigan at 71% and lowest in the Metro-Detroit area (42%). There is also a significant gender gap, with men showing much higher approval (63% approve, 30% disapprove) compared to women (38% approve, 53% disapprove). Union and non-union households show similar levels of approval at 51% and 50% respectively.
“Biden’s handling of immigration a year ago received widespread voter opposition across the political spectrum which is why only 21% supported his handling of the issue,” said Leonard. “The policies of the current administration have decreased illegal border encounters by over 90% and the electorate is giving President Trump the credit.”
The results and the wording of the questions asked by MRG follow.
Q. Q. In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job President Trump is doing on immigration?
MRG Michigan Poll® Spring 2025
The survey of 602 likely Michigan voters was conducted by live phone interview from March 24th- 28th 2025. The sample was randomly drawn from a listed sample of all registered voters with a history of voting and stratified by city and township to reflect voter turnout. Quotas for gender and cell phone interviews were met within each geographic area, and extra efforts were made to reach African Americans. Some columns or results may not add up to 100% because of rounding. Individual rounding may impact final totals. This survey yields a sampling margin of error of ±4 percent with a 96 percent confidence interval. The sampling margin of error for subgroups may be higher depending on the size of the subgroup.
About Marketing Resource Group (MRG)
Lansing, Michigan-based Marketing Resource Group (www.mrgmi.com) is an award-winning PR firm representing corporate, association, nonprofit, and private clients with interests in Michigan. MRG offers expertise in public affairs, communications, political campaign management, and public opinion survey research. For more than thirty years, MRG has conducted its bi-annual omnibus Michigan Poll®, tracking the pulse of Michigan voters on key statewide public policy and political issues. MRG is the only Michigan public opinion survey research firm that maintains nearly 40 years of trend analyses of voter attitudes related to state and national leaders, political parties, and the political and economic climate in Michigan. Follow MRG on X @mrgmichigan and on Facebook.
.png)