Trump’s deportations may hurt, not help, GOP’s political math

Published February 7, 2026 7:00am ET



President Donald Trump‘s allies have argued that illegal immigrants are skewing the Electoral College and the battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives toward Democrats, but available data suggest the advantage may be smaller and could backfire on Republicans.

Trump allies, buoyed by polling that shows strong support for cracking down on all illegal immigrants among the MAGA faithful, argue the census gives Democrats an edge and the only solution is mass deportations.

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