A majority of U.S. likely voters want to penalize companies that hire illegal migrants, a Rasmussen Reports survey found.
The national poll highlights growing public frustration with illegal immigration and strong support for tougher enforcement measures that go beyond border security to target the jobs magnet drawing migrants into the country.
According to Rasmussen, 55% of likely voters say the federal government should impose strong penalties against U.S. employers who knowingly hire illegal migrants, while just 29% disagree.
Support is even stronger for mandatory use of E-Verify, the federal electronic system used to confirm work eligibility.
A full 68% of voters say they would support their state government requiring all employers to use E-Verify, including 41% who strongly support the mandate. Only 23% oppose making E-Verify mandatory.
The findings come as President Donald Trump pushes an aggressive immigration enforcement agenda during his second term, emphasizing both border control and interior enforcement.
Conservatives have long argued that cracking down on employers who hire illegal workers is essential to reducing illegal immigration, protecting American wages, and restoring the rule of law.
Fifty-eight percent of voters agree that hiring illegal workers harms legal workers by reducing pay, worsening working conditions, and limiting job opportunities for Americans.
That view is particularly strong among Republicans, with 87% saying they agree, but it also resonates among 40% of Democrats and 58% of unaffiliated voters.
Support for employer penalties and E-Verify cuts across demographic groups.
Majorities of white, Black, Hispanic, and other minority voters favor mandatory E-Verify.
Black voters are the most likely to agree that illegal hiring harms legal workers, a finding that challenges claims from some on the left that immigration enforcement is inherently discriminatory.
Among Republicans, support is overwhelming: 72% favor strong penalties against employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and 86% back mandatory E-Verify.
Notably, 77% of voters who supported Trump in the 2024 election favor punishing employers who break immigration law, compared with just 35% of voters who backed the Democrat presidential nominee, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Men are more likely than women to favor employer penalties, and voters ages 50 to 64 are the strongest supporters of tougher enforcement.
Those under 30 are the least likely to believe illegal hiring harms American workers.
The survey also reveals lingering divisions.
Nearly half of voters still express support for so-called "sanctuary" policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, highlighting the political challenge Trump faces in states and cities run by Democrats.
Still, conservatives see the Rasmussen results as a clear mandate.
Business groups and left-leaning politicians have often resisted E-Verify, saying it burdens employers. But the survey suggests voters increasingly view enforcement as a matter of fairness for American workers.
Rasmussen polled of 1,146 likely voters from Jan. 20-22. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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