Has Trump disobeyed court order on deportation? What Americans said in a new poll

Brendan Rascius, The Charlotte Observer on Apr 15, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Many Americans think President Donald Trump’s administration has ignored a court order concerning deportations — and most think it will disregard future orders, according to new polling.

In an April 12 YouGov poll, 44% of respondents said, as far as they know, the Trump administration had “disobeyed any court orders when deporting immigrants.” In contrast, 27% said it had not disobeyed, and 30% were not sure.

Most Democrats, 72%, said the administration had defied court orders, while 42% of independents and just 16% of Republicans said the same.

Meanwhile, a slim majority of respondents, 52%, said in the future, they believe the administration will disobey court orders concerning deportations. Twenty-one percent said it would not, and 27% were not sure.

On this question, most Democrats and independents — 79% and 51% — agreed that the government would flout a court order. Just 24% of Republicans said the same.

The poll sampled 11,011 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 1.2 percentage points.

It comes after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that the Trump administration must “facilitate and effectuate the return” of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal U.S. resident who was deported to a prison in El Salvador in March as a result of an “administrative error.”

Most respondents, 64%, said they support the high court’s decision — including 83% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 47% of Republicans.

However, senior Trump officials said they do not have grounds to initiate Garcia’s return.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters at the White House on April 14, according to The Associated Press. “That’s not up to us.”

The Trump administration has said Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally, is part of MS-13, an international criminal gang, designated by the government as a foreign terrorist organization.

However, his lawyers have argued that Garcia — who has never been charged or convicted of a crime — is not affiliated with MS-13, according to CBS News. He was granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019, who cited threats on his life in El Salvador.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who was also present at the White House on April 14, said he, too, has no plans to send Garcia back.

“The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele said, according to the AP. “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”

Democratic lawmakers quickly condemned these comments, arguing they patently defy the high court’s order.

“President Bukele’s comment today is pure nonsense,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “The law is clear, due process was grossly violated, and the Supreme Court has clearly spoken that the Trump administration must facilitate and effectuate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”

“Kilmar was illegally ABDUCTED and deported by the Trump Admin,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said in a post on X. “He must be brought home NOW.”

_____