Nearly half of Latino adults told Pew Research Center in a survey conducted before Donald Trump’s inauguration that they are worried—regardless of whether or not they are here legally—that they or someone they know may be deported:
About half (47%) of Hispanic adults, regardless of their immigration status, say they worry “a lot” or “some” that they themselves, a family member or a close friend, could be deported, while 52% say they are worried “not at all” or “not much.”
Worries about deportation among immigrants are greatest for those who do not hold U.S. citizenship and do not hold a green card: 67% say they worry a lot (45%) or some (22%) about the deportation of themselves or someone close to them. And among immigrants who are lawful permanent residents, 66% say they are worried about deportation of themselves or someone close to them. Both of these groups are potentially subject to deportation. By comparison, one-third (33%) of U.S.-born Hispanics say they are worried about deportation of someone they know, while 55% say they worry not much or not at all about deportation.
“Among Hispanics,” Pew states, “a growing share of many key subgroups say that the state of U.S. Hispanics has deteriorated”:
For example, 42% of Hispanic immigrants who do not hold U.S. citizenship and do not hold a green card today say that the situation of U.S. Hispanics has worsened in the past year, up from 24% who said the same in 2014. Some 38% of Hispanic immigrants who hold U.S. citizenship say this today, up from 21% who said the same in 2014. And 29% of U.S.-born Hispanics say that Hispanics are worse off today than one year ago, up from 17% in 2014. By comparison, Hispanic immigrants who are lawful permanent residents are as likely today (26%) as in 2014 (24%) to say the group’s situation in the U.S. has worsened.
“The share today that says the group’s situation has worsened is about double the share that said the same in 2013 (15%).”
It’s worth mentioning again that this research was done before Trump took office, began issuing his anti-immigrant and anti-refugee executive orders, and unshackled his deportation force. It’s fair to say that there could be some very different results from Pew the next time around.