Gonzales Poll Part 2: Maryland voters overwhelmingly support local cooperation with arresting and deporting criminal immigrants

Gonzales Poll Part 2: Maryland voters overwhelmingly support local cooperation with arresting and deporting criminal immigrants

Immigration and Customs Enforcement photo on Flickr

Here is pollster Patrick Gonzales’ analysis of of Part 2 of his latest poll:

Maryland voters overwhelmingly support requiring local officials in the state to cooperate with federal law enforcement agents in the effort to arrest and deport aliens in Maryland who have committed crimes.

Statewide, 76% support requiring local officials to cooperate with federal agents (56% “strongly” support and 20% “somewhat” support), while only 20% oppose this (13% “strongly” oppose and 7% “somewhat” oppose), with 4% offering no opinion.

By party, 96% of Republicans, 77% of independents, and 65% of Democrats support requiring local officials in the state to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its endeavor to carry out Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to arrest and deport people in this country illegally who have committed crimes.

Trump

Former and future president Donald Trump takes the oath of office in a little less than two weeks. Perhaps not surprisingly, the good vibes and mojo he’s been enjoying across the country recently haven’t really found their way here to the Old Line State.

Statewide, 34% approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as he prepares for his inauguration on January 20th (22% “strongly” approve and 12% “somewhat” approve), while 58% of Marylanders disapprove of the job he’s doing preparing to assume office (51% “strongly” disapprove and 7% “somewhat” disapprove), with 8% offering no response.

By party, 84% of Republicans approve, while 84% of Democrats disapprove. Among independents, 31% approve and 54% disapprove.

Biden

Outgoing President Joe Biden maintains decent numbers in Maryland, with 55% approving of the job he is doing (28% “strongly” approve and 27% “somewhat”  approve), while 43% disapprove of the job Biden’s doing (31% “strongly” disapprove and 12% “somewhat” disapprove), with 2% giving no answer.

His strong base party support keeps his head above water in the Free State.

Eighty-three percent of Democrats approve of the job President Biden is doing as he gets ready to leave office, while 85% of Republicans disapprove. Among unaffiliated voters, 35% approve and 58% disapprove.

Direction of country

What a difference a day makes – or, at least, an election. In our September poll, 50% of Marylanders thought that things in the country overall were moving in the right direction.

Today, only 35% say things are moving in the right direction, while 59% feel like they’re moving in the wrong direction. Why the dramatic shift? Things haven’t changed that much, have they?

The answer is simple: politics presently in these United States is a sporting event…my team wins, I’m happy; my team loses, I’m sad. Take a look at this comparison between the two polls, where it went from 50% right direction/45% wrong direction in the fall to 35% right direction/59% wrong direction today.

We like to say we’ve seen everything in politics – but this drop of 49 points among Democrats and boost of 46 points with Republicans – simply because there was an election – is something that causes even us to shake our nonplussed heads.

Here are the full results of the poll, including cross tabs.

Gonzales conducted this poll from December 27, 2024 through January 4, 2025. A total of 811 registered voters in Maryland, who indicated they are likely to vote in the next election, were queried by live telephone interviews, using both landline and cell phone numbers. A cross-section of interviews was conducted throughout the state, reflecting general election voting patterns.

About The Author

Patrick Gonzales

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Patrick E. Gonzales graduated magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore with a degree in political science. His career in the field of public opinion research began in the mid-1980s as an analyst with Mason-Dixon Opinion Research. During this time, Gonzales helped develop, craft and implement election surveys and exit polls for television and radio in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metro area. Gonzales has polled and analyzed well over a thousand elections in Maryland and across the country since that time. He and his associates have also conducted numerous market research projects, crafting message development plans and generating strategy blueprints for businesses and organizations throughout the state. Over his 35 years conducting public opinion polls, Patrick Gonzales has been widely recognized by his peers for his ability to conduct unbiased surveys, and analyze the results in an impartial, evenhanded manner. Gonzales frequently appears on radio and television in the Baltimore-D.C. region as a guest commentator.