As national attention focuses on immigration enforcement, a new study from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research provides insight into how Houstonians view deportation and related policies.
Conducted by Anna DeLisi, Karen Pren Goolsby and Daniel Potter, the research surveyed nearly 10,000 residents across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties. More than 80% of respondents said the U.S. immigration system is not working well. When asked about policies toward undocumented immigrants, the majority (70%) favored expanding legal pathways while fewer supported deportation as the preferred option.
“A majority of Houstonians are collectively saying: The system is broken, but mass deportation is not the solution,” said Potter, who oversees survey research for the institute’s Houston Population Research Center.
The survey also asked respondents to consider specific deportation scenarios. For example, about 3 in 4 residents opposed deporting individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children and have lived here for decades. A majority opposed deportation in most cases with the exception of individuals arrested for crimes, where support for deportation was higher. More than 70% of respondents said they believe local police should not take an active role in identifying undocumented immigrants.
Support for immigration pathways varied across political ideology but was strongest among moderates, who make up 60% of the Houston-area population. Conservative residents were more divided, and a majority of extremely conservative respondents leaned toward deportation.
“Studying attitudes about this policy in Houston is important for several reasons — one is that we are a global city, and attitudes of residents here are informed by lived experiences,” Potter said. “Another is that Houstonians tend to be middle of the road, and in this case, the middle wants increased pathways.”
The greater Houston area, home to more than 1.7 million immigrants, includes significant numbers of both documented and undocumented residents. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 481,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Harris County in 2019 — about 10% of the county’s population.
Researchers note that the survey highlights the diversity of perspectives across the region at a time of changing federal enforcement priorities.
“We can’t fully predict what will happen amid this policy shift, but what is clear is that the majority of Houstonians would prefer a different policy direction than the one we’re seeing unfold,” Potter said.
In addition to residents preferring increased pathways to citizenship, more than 70% of respondents said they did not want to see local police taking an active role in identifying undocumented immigrants. Texas Senate Bill 8, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, will require local sheriffs’ offices around the state to apply to work with federal agencies to enforce immigration laws.
The full research brief, “Attitudes Toward Mass Deportation and Immigration Policy Preferences: Insights from the Greater Houston Area,” is available on the Kinder Institute website.
For media inquiries or to schedule an interview with the researchers, please contact Kat Cosley Trigg at kat.cosley.trigg@rice.edu or 713-348-6781.