A new Kinder Institute for Urban Research survey of 9,800 Houston-area residents — the largest in the organization’s history — shows most locals support increasing opportunities for immigrants to stay in the country and pursue American citizenship. Their attitudes put them at odds with President Donald Trump, who has pledged to deport millions of people, and Republican policymakers nationwide who back the administration’s stance.
The survey, conducted by the institute’s Houston Population Research Center, measured the immigration policy preferences of residents across the political spectrum in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, with a particular focus on moderates.
The results show politically moderate and slightly partisan residents generally side with liberal Houstonians in opposing Trump’s preference for mass deportation of people living in the U.S. illegally. Houston conservatives, however, are roughly split on whether to support Trump’s immigration platform — a contrast to the Republican Party leadership’s full-throated embrace.
Immigration policy has an especially profound impact on Greater Houston’s families, economy, political power and quality of life. The Migration Policy Institute estimates over 500,000 unauthorized immigrants lived in the three-county area in 2019, the most recent year with available data. (Some unauthorized immigrants have a temporary legal right to stay in the U.S.)
"Houston is home to an incredibly diverse population that includes a large share of immigrants, both undocumented and documented,” said Anna Glanzer DeLisi, one of the researchers who helped craft the survey and report on the findings. “The attitudes of residents in these three counties represent the attitudes of 1 out of every 5 Texas residents, so their voices on this issue should matter in shaping policy."
These four charts break down the top survey results, which are weighted to reflect the demographics of Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.
Few happy with the status quo
Regardless of political affiliation, Houstonians believe the American immigration system needs fixing. Four-in-five respondents disagreed with the statement “the U.S. immigration system is working well.
Mass deportation isn’t popular
When asked whether the U.S. government should increase pathways to citizenship, enact mass deportations or take no action, about 70% of Houstonians supported increasing pathways.
Opinions were split by political affiliation, with local conservatives notably divided on which approach to take.
Strong backing for ‘Dreamers’
About three-quarters of Houstonians oppose deporting adults who were illegally brought to the U.S. as a child and have now lived here for 20 years.
Adults in this situation are commonly called “Dreamers,” though some have resided in the U.S. for more than two decades.
Little patience for immigrants accused of crimes
Most Houstonians opposed deporting immigrants in several scenarios, including those who own a small business, fled violence in their home country or have a U.S.-born child. But they overwhelmingly backed deporting a person illegally residing in the U.S. who gets arrested on a drunken driving charge.
Nearly 70% said they supported deportation in that case, mirroring similar attitudes in national surveys toward deporting immigrants arrested or convicted of a crime.
The impact on Houston
The full scope of Trump’s immigration crackdown on the Houston region isn’t known, because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hasn’t yet published regional data on immigration arrests or deportations for 2025.
However, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, an organization at Syracuse University that collects and publishes federal court data, found immigration court removal orders have roughly doubled in Texas during the first several months of Trump’s administration when compared to the final months of President Joe Biden’s term.
Ultimately, this aggressive deportation push in Houston will have dramatic effects on the area.
Of the estimated half-million-plus unauthorized immigrants living in the three-county area in 2019, about 340,000 held jobs and nearly 100,000 worked in construction, according to the Migration Policy Institute. In addition, research and academic studies have consistently found undocumented immigrants contribute more in taxes and other economic benefits than they consume in government services.
“Undocumented individuals contribute at least $2.4 billion in taxes to the state each year, and about one-quarter of those individuals are in the Houston area,” said Dan Potter, who leads the survey work at the Houston Population Research Center.
Widespread deportations also could weaken regional and state political power in 2030, when the census is counted and seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned by population size.
Opponents of mass deportation often argue the approach inflicts trauma on families, harms local economies and carries an exorbitant cost. Supporters often respond that it enforces existing law, deters future illegal immigration, makes more jobs available to American citizens and reduces the number of crime victims in the U.S.
