A new poll reveals widespread disruption among Asian American and Pacific Islander adults stemming from heightened immigration enforcement, with about half reporting they or someone they know have been detained, deported, started carrying proof of immigration status, upended travel plans, or significantly changed routines within the last year. The AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, released Monday by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, underscores how immigration policy changes have rippled through one of the country's fastest-growing demographic groups.
The survey found that about 6 in 10 AAPI adults believe the U.S. used to be a great country for immigrants but is not anymore. Only about 3 in 10 said America is a great place for immigrants, while 5% said it was never a great place for immigrants. The findings come after more than a year of immigration crackdowns that the poll says have included multiple clashes between protesters and enforcement officers and the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Legal Immigrants Affected by Policy Changes
Even some immigrants with legal status have been affected by the Trump administration's policies. One policy that would have hiked fees for certain types of visas was shot down in federal court this month. Another judge struck down a policy that "categorically barred" immigrants from 39 Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries from receiving final decisions on asylum, work permit, green card and citizenship applications.
Khoa Tran, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, came to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2015 at age 15 and gained citizenship 7 years ago. In 2023, he sponsored his wife from Vietnam. Last year, Tran became concerned when his social media feed kept bringing up posts about how essential it was that even legal immigrants carry documentation. He said it had not occurred to the couple that his wife should have her green card with her at all times. "It seemed like we needed to do it. It's literally become like a second form of identification in addition to the driver's license," Tran said. He also said he has seen international students in his community put off trips to visit family in Asia because of concerns about student visas. "They're just scared. They don't know the law around that," Tran said. "Better safe than sorry."
About half of South Asian adults, compared with about 4 in 10 AAPI adults overall, know someone who started carrying proof of legal status or citizenship over the last year. South Asian adults are much more likely than East Asian or Southeast Asian American adults to have been born outside the U.S., according to the survey. Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, said many of those immigrants may have green cards or be naturalized citizens, yet feel "like their presence and their status in this country is under question."
Cultural Identity and National Belonging
The survey found that AAPI adults are more likely than Americans overall to see the mixing of culture and values from around the world as central to the country's identity. The vast majority, 73%, of AAPI adults said the mixing of cultures and values from around the world is extremely or very important to the U.S.'s identity as a nation, compared with 55% of U.S. adults in an April AP-NORC poll.
Ramakrishnan said, "America's success story has depended critically on the role of Asian Americans, but also immigrants in general," and added, "When you have people who are already in this country, have been here for decades saying, 'I'm not really sure that this is the best country anymore,' that's a warning sign."
AAPI adults are one of the country's fastest-growing demographic groups, and most AAPI adults in the U.S. were born outside the country. AAPI adults are likelier to say their family's ancestry or country of origin is extremely or very important to their personal identity than to say the same about being American. Just over half of AAPI adults said their family's ancestry or country of origin is important to who they are, while 44% said this about their American identity. Among U.S.-born AAPI adults, 59% said their family's heritage is important to their personal identity, while 47% said this about being American. A separate AP-NORC survey conducted in April found that 55% of U.S. adults said being an American is important to who they are, while 37% said that about their family's ancestry.
Abigail Jeyaraj, 22, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was born in Texas. She said her Indian parents' decision to build a new life in the U.S. is something she never takes for granted. When she describes her nationality, she identifies herself as not just American but South Asian American. "Especially as a South Asian woman, I'm very sensitive to the fact that I have opportunities that my mother and my grandmother, all the women before that didn't," Jeyaraj said. "I really try to honor that culture. I try to maintain really strong connections to my family in India."
Soonho Kwon, 30, of La Mirada, California, was born in Korea and his family settled in New Jersey when he was 8 years old. "I think I still feel more Korean. I came right around the age where I had very solid memories from growing up in Korea. My immediate family's back there now," Kwon said. "I'm a naturalized citizen. I'm committed to living here, but identity is a different question."
Ambivalence Around America's 250th Anniversary
The poll also found ambivalence around America's 250th anniversary this year. Jeyaraj said she grew up around Dallas and Houston, where she was "able to interact with people of so many different races and different cultures that weren't my own," and said that experience made her more empathetic. Restrictions on immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives leave her feeling conflicted about celebrating the country's 250th anniversary. "I'm proud we made it this far as a country," Jeyaraj said. "You have recent actors who are trying to undo that progress. They maybe view it as restoring an ideal, but it's removing so much work that powerful and influential people made to bring us toward an ideal of equality and justice."
Tran said the anniversary feels arbitrary to him. "I don't think this country is 'founded' at some point in time. It just changes from one form to another," Tran said. "Even the Native Americans (were) a long time here. I'm pretty sure that was more than 250 years."
The poll of 1,075 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted April 20-28 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Why This Matters:
The poll's findings reveal significant uncertainty among legal immigrants and citizens within the AAPI community about their standing under current immigration enforcement policies. When even legal residents and naturalized citizens feel compelled to carry documentation routinely or reconsider international travel, it suggests policy implementation may be creating unintended costs that extend beyond targeting illegal immigration. The fact that federal courts have already struck down multiple policies this month indicates potential overreach requiring judicial correction. For a demographic group that represents one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population and economy, widespread concern about America's openness to immigrants raises questions about the nation's ability to attract and retain skilled workers and entrepreneurs. The data also highlights a challenge for national cohesion: when a majority of AAPI adults prioritize ancestral identity over American identity, it underscores the ongoing work required to foster civic integration alongside cultural preservation.