These Poll Numbers Should Have Democrats in Full Panic Mode

President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies are under heavy fire, and the radical left is making the same old accusations of racism and xenophobia. Despite that constant media drumbeat, it’s not sticking.

Trump’s standing with Hispanic voters tells a different story. His approval numbers among this demographic have jumped to levels that should make Democrats reconsider their messaging on border security.

An Emerson College poll published January 27, 2026, found that 43.3 percent of Hispanic or Latino voters now approve of Trump’s job performance. That’s a sharp climb from just 28.2 percent in December. The disapproval rate among Hispanics fell from 57.9 percent to 45.4 percent, a 12.5-point drop. This shift happened while high-profile ICE operations dominated news coverage. Trump’s overall approval in the same poll sits at 43 percent.

This is a big deal, and even Newsweek sees it.

Hispanic and Latino voters emerged as a new swing demographic in the 2024 presidential election. Although the group has historically supported Democrats, it was more divided in the most recent election, backing former Vice President Kamala Harris by only 5 percentage points, per CNN exit polling.

This helped Trump flip battleground states like Arizona and Nevada, while giving Republicans improved margins in states like Florida and Texas as well. Whether Democrats can win back Hispanic and Latino voters who shifted to the right remains a key question for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Hispanics now make up 20 percent of the U.S. population, at 68 million people. That surpasses the combined total of 40 million for blacks and 21 million for Asians. The demographic grew from 5 percent of the population in 1970 to 13 percent in 2000. Any party that ignores this voting bloc does so at its own peril.

Why is that important? Well, because Trump got 48 percent of the Hispanic vote in the 2024 election, the highest share for any Republican presidential candidate since 1960. Biden won 61 percent of Latinos in 2020, a 25-point edge over Trump’s 36 percent. Clinton took 66 percent in 2016, outpacing Trump’s 28 percent by 38 points. The trajectory is unmistakable.

Spencer Kimball, executive director of the Emerson poll, noted that “Venezuela is the Trump administration’s top issue in the survey among Hispanic voters, who approve of the administration’s actions 44 percent to 37 percent.” This detail matters. Hispanic voters care about foreign policy that directly affects their home countries. They care about economic opportunity. They care about public safety in their own communities.

So, what’s going on here?

The backlash against ICE operations comes primarily from what one analyst calls “angry white liberals” who care more about open borders than Hispanics themselves do. Elected Democrats and mainstream media outlets have compared ICE operations to “Gestapo-like tactics.”

Yet Hispanic voters are moving toward Trump, not away from him.

Trump’s approach may also appeal to traditional values among Hispanic men. His willingness to confront the left directly, his emphasis on economic growth, and his focus on restoring American strength align with what many Hispanic voters want.

The 2026 midterms loom large. Democrats hope to recapture control of Congress. Their strategy hinges on painting Trump’s immigration enforcement as extreme and un-American. The polling suggests that the message is falling flat with the very voters Democrats claim to represent. Hispanic approval of Trump has climbed despite relentless negative coverage of ICE raids in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

Democrats face a choice. They can continue patronizing Hispanic voters with lectures on what they should care about, or they can listen to what Hispanic voters are actually saying. The economy matters. Peace and prosperity matter. The American Dream matters. Venezuela policy matters. Open borders and protecting illegal immigrants rank lower on the priority list than progressive activists want to admit.

Trump’s surge in Hispanic approval reflects a broader realignment. Working-class voters of all backgrounds are skeptical of leftist social policies and are more focused on tangible results. They want secure borders, safe streets, and opportunities to build wealth. Trump delivers that message without apology.