Detention Centers and Detention Locations

Last updated: November 24, 2025.

Key Point Summary

National surveys conducted in 2025 and early 2026 show that a majority of Americans disapprove of building new detention centers and relocating deportees to foreign countries other than their home countries. These detention procedures are thus an unpopular aspect of U.S. immigration policy, viewed unfavorably by a majority, but not a supermajority, of Americans.

Bottom Line:  The American public opposes more than supports building new detention centers and opposes sending undocumented immigrants to countries other than their home countries.

Availability of Data and Confidence in Conclusions

This assessment is based on 9 questions from 9 nationally representative surveys conducted between 2025 and 2026, with a total sample size of 23,631. The evidence base is relatively limited. Consistency appears fairly strong: the available questions seem to point in a similar direction and do not appear highly contradictory. The main limitation is the relatively small number of directly relevant questions and surveys. By comparison, there is no polling data on detention centers and locations between 2022 and 2024.

Overall Confidence: FAIR.  

Policy Implications

Policymakers seeking public support for immigration enforcement should recognize that while border security remains a broadly supported principle, increasing spending on detention infrastructure as an enforcement mechanism receives majority opposition. Similarly, deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign countries which are not their home countries receives more opposition than support.

Policymakers should note that the 2025 questions reviewed here mostly include references to the detention policies as being part of the current presidential administration. Thus, the finding that detention practices in general remain politically unpopular reflects a pattern that largely mirrors the popularity and unpopularity of the current presidential administration.

Initiatives emphasizing alternatives to detention, humane conditions, or localized oversight may find broader public support.

Detailed Discussion

Seven surveys conducted in 2025 and early 2026 asked about specific actions that could be taken in relationship to detention of undocumented immigrants. Three of these focused on building new detention facilities to house undocumented immigrants waiting for deportation. Two focused on deporting undocumented immigrants to prisons in El Salvador or South Sudan.

Across these surveys, a majority of Americans in the 54% to 64% range disapprove of both policies, with support ranging from 25% to 43%.

Specifically, 2025-2026 polling indicates majority disapproval or plurality disapproval for:

  • Increasing spending for new detention centers (40% approve, 59% disapprove; July 2025) [1].
  • Building new detention facilities to detain up to 100,000 undocumented immigrants (26% support, 57% oppose; July 2025) [2].
  • Significantly increasing the number of government facilities for housing immigrants in the U.S. illegally and waiting for decisions on being deported (43% approve, 54% disapprove; June 2025) [3].
  • Deporting some immigrants here illegally to prisons in El Salvador (37% approve; 51% disapprove; June 2025) [3].
  • Deporting undocumented immigrants to prisons with which they have no personal connection including El Salvador and South Sudan (39% favor, 58% oppose; July 2025) [4].

These findings align with broader findings showing Americans prioritize humane treatment and due process for migrants, even while Americans support stronger border enforcement overall.

Context and Question Wording Effects

Question wording does not appear to have a significant effect on responses to these questions. Three of the five questions included references to the Trump administration. This may help explain the consistency across responses and the pattern of responses which broadly concur with Trump presidential job approval ratings.

Trends over Time

All available polling on detention locations and practices is limited to 2025 and early 2026, precluding trend analysis across a longer span of years. Within this window, opposition to detention-related policies was consistent and majority-level throughout.

2025: Across five surveys, opposition to detention‑related policies was consistently in the majority, with disapproval ranging from the mid‑50s to low‑60s. June polls showed 54%–62% opposing expanding detention facilities, increasing spending, or deporting immigrants to prisons abroad [3, 5]. July surveys of both national adults and registered voters replicated this pattern, with 57%–59% opposed and support never exceeding 40% [1, 2, 4].

2026: A January survey found continued majority opposition: 64% of national adults opposed keeping large numbers of immigrants in detention centers while cases are processed, even without referencing the Trump administration. Support remained in the mid‑30s [6].

Interpretation: The short time window prevents assessing directional change, but all available 2025–2026 data show stable, majority‑level opposition to expanding detention centers or using third‑country detention. Variation in question wording, sponsor, or sample type did not meaningfully shift results, and the absence of pre‑2025 baselines limits conclusions about whether these views reflect long‑standing attitudes or administration‑specific reactions.

Citations

  1. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox July 2025 Topline - July 29 Release. Fielded 7/18/25-7/21/25.
  2. CNN/SSRS. (2025). Americans largely oppose Trump's ramp-up of deportations. Fielded 7/10/25-7/13/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  3. Pew Research Center/SSRS. (2025). Americans Have Mixed to Negative Views of Trump Administration Immigration Actions. Fielded 6/2/25-6/8/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  4. Wall Street Journal/Impact Research/Fabrizio Lee. (2025). NATIONWIDE POLL JULY 2025. Fielded 7/16/25-7/20/25.
  5. The Washington Post/Ipsos. (2025). Americans support extending some tax cuts in House budget – but not for the wealthy or corporations. Fielded 6/6/25-6/10/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  6. Pew Research Center. (2026). 2026 Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel Wave 185 Politics January Survey. Fielded 1/20/26-1/26/26.

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