Misinformation About Immigrants in the 2024 Presidential Election

As part of KFF’s ongoing effort to identify and track misinformation in the U.S., the latest KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll examines claims about immigrants that have circulated during the 2024 presidential election cycle. While immigration has been a frequent topic of the campaign, the political discourse surrounding immigrants often overlooks the perspectives and experiences of immigrants themselves. To address this gap, this report includes new insights from a survey of immigrants in addition to views among the general public. This research builds on the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants, which found that large shares of immigrants are confused and fearful about using government benefit programs. A companion issue brief provides key facts about immigrants’ health care use and costs.

Key takeaways from this report include:

• Most of the public has heard or read claims – including false claims – about immigrants from elected officials or candidates as part of the campaign. Conducted before the September 10 presidential debate, the survey found that large majorities of adults across partisans say they have heard false statements from candidates and elected officials that immigrants are “causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S.” (80%) and that “immigrants are taking jobs and causing an increase in unemployment for people born in the U.S.” (74%). A majority of adults (69%) also report hearing the true claim from candidates and elected officials that “immigrants help fill labor shortages in certain industries like agriculture, construction, or health care,” though far fewer (31%) report hearing the true claim that “undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in U.S. taxes each year.”
• When it comes to the truthfulness of these claims about immigrants, a majority of adults are in the “muddled middle,” saying the claims are either “probably true” or “probably false.” For example, more than half (56%) of adults overall say the false claim that “immigrants are causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S.” is either “probably true” (28%) or “probably false” (28%), while about one in five each say this claim is “definitely true” (23%) or “definitely false” (20%).
• Despite many adults falling in the “muddled middle,” there are strong partisan divides in the public’s perceptions of the truthfulness of these claims, with Republicans more likely than Democrats to say false claims about immigrants are “definitely true.” For example, about four in ten (45%) Republicans say it is “definitely true” that immigrants are causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S., whereas a similar share (39%) of Democrats say this claim is “definitely false.” Conversely, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say each of the true claims about immigrants is “definitely true.”
• Amid former President Trump’s false claims that undocumented immigrants drain federal benefit programs and receive free government health care, many U.S. adults, as well as immigrants themselves, are confused about whether and when immigrants can qualify for programs like these. Across partisanship and immigration status, about half or more U.S. adults and immigrant adults say they are either unsure or incorrectly believe that most immigrants to the U.S. are eligible to enroll in federal health insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, as soon as they arrive in the U.S. Under longstanding federal policy, most lawfully present immigrants, with some exceptions, are generally ineligible to enroll in federal benefit programs like Medicaid until they have resided in the U.S. for at least five years. Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federally funded health insurance programs.
• Nearly four in ten (36%) immigrant adults say the way former President Trump has talked about immigrants in his campaign has had a negative effect on how they are treated as immigrants in the U.S., rising to 45% among Asian immigrant adults. Those who say they have been negatively affected by Trump’s rhetoric point to his role in instigating violence, racism, and discrimination toward immigrants. Most (72%) immigrants say that the way Vice President Harris has spoken about immigrants in her campaign has not affected how they are treated, yet perhaps in a nod to her heritage, three in ten (30%) Asian immigrant adults say the way Harris speaks about immigrants has had a positive effect on how they are treated.
• More than twice as many immigrant adults say that immigrants will be better off under a Harris (55%) presidency than a Trump presidency (19%), but about one quarter (26%) say who the president is makes no difference in the lives of immigrants. About seven in ten (73%) immigrants who identify as Democrats or lean towards the Democratic party say immigrants will be better off under Harris while nearly half (46%) of Republicans and Republican-leaning immigrants say the same about Trump.
• Similar to U.S. voters overall, immigrants who are citizens and registered to vote name the economy and inflation (39%) and threats to democracy (24%) as their top voting issues in this year’s presidential election. About one in ten (9%) immigrant voters say immigration and border security is their top issue.

The Public’s Exposure to and Belief in Claims About Immigrants

Immigrants and immigration have been a central issue of the 2024 presidential campaign. The Trump campaign has repeatedly described immigrants as a source of crime, a burden for taxpayers, and a drain on government programs like Medicare and Social Security. The Harris campaign has also focused on immigration, emphasizing her tough on crime stance as a former attorney general of a border state, while also highlighting her family’s immigrant roots. Fielded before the September 10 presidential debate, the latest KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll asked the public about true and false claims about immigrants that have circulated during the campaigns. 

False claims about immigrants are pervasive, with large majorities of adults saying they have heard or read statements from candidates or elected officials that “immigrants are causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S.” (80%) and that “immigrants are taking jobs and causing an increase in unemployment for people born in the U.S.” (74%). A majority of adults (69%) also report hearing the true claim from candidates or elected officials that “immigrants help fill labor shortages in certain industries like agriculture, construction, and health care,” though far fewer (31%) report hearing that “undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in U.S. taxes every year.” The shares who report hearing or reading these claims are similar across partisans, but fewer Republicans than Democrats have heard the true claim about undocumented immigrants paying billions in taxes (23% vs. 38%).

As with other forms of misinformation, many adults are not certain what to believe when it comes to campaign-related statements about immigrants, with a majority falling in the “muddled middle,” saying the claims are either “probably true” or “probably false.” Overall, more than half (56%) of adults say the false claim that “immigrants are causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S.” is either “probably true” (28%) or “probably false” (28%). A similar pattern exists on the false claim about immigrants causing an increase in unemployment for U.S.-born workers (27% “probably true,” 30% “probably false”) and the true claim that undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in U.S. taxes (27% “probably true,” 32% “probably false”). For the true claim about immigrants filling labor shortages in key industries, overall, about half of adults fall in the middle, but more adults are inclined to say it is “probably true” (44%) than “probably false” (11%).

Public perceptions of the truthfulness of these claims are sharply divided along partisan lines, with Republicans more likely than Democrats to believe false assertions that immigrants are causing increases in violent crime and unemployment. About four in ten (45%) Republicans say the false claim about immigrants and violent crime is “definitely true,” whereas a similar share (39%) of Democrats says this claim is “definitely false.” There is also a wide partisan gap in perceptions of the false claim that immigrants are taking jobs and contributing to unemployment for U.S.-born adults, with about three in ten (31%) Republicans saying this is “definitely true,” while about four in ten (46%) Democrats say this is “definitely false.”

Partisans also differ in their level of certainty about two true claims about immigrants. For example, sizeable shares of both Democrats and Republicans are inclined to believe the true claim that immigrants help fill labor shortages in certain industries, as at least three quarters from both parties say this claim is at least “probably true.” However, Democrats are stronger than Republicans in this conviction, as a larger share say it is “definitely true” (55% vs. 21%). Few Democrats or Republicans are certain about the truthfulness of the true claim that “undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in U.S. taxes every year,” as at least half of adults from both parties say this statement is either “probably true” or “probably false.” Still, on this true claim, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it is “definitely false” (43% vs. 13%).

Knowledge About Immigrants’ Eligibility and Use of Federal Benefit Programs

Immigrants and immigration are key talking points of former President Donald Trump’s campaign as well as many other Republican candidates and elected officials. He and others have frequently made false statements about immigrants, including that undocumented immigrants are receiving free health care from the federal government, immigrants are “killing” Social Security and Medicare, and that immigrants receive an outsized share of government benefits. The latest KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll asks both the general public as well as immigrants themselves their knowledge on immigrants’ eligibility and use of federal benefits.

About half of U.S. adults overall (51%) and immigrant adults (49%) incorrectly believe undocumented immigrants are eligible for health insurance programs paid for by the federal government or say they are “not sure.” About three in ten adults overall (29%) and immigrant adults (32%) say they are “not sure” whether undocumented immigrants are eligible for health insurance paid for by the federal government and about one in five of each group (21%, 17%) incorrectly say undocumented immigrants are eligible. The other half of U.S. adults (49%) and immigrant adults (51%) correctly say undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal health insurance programs. Among U.S. adults overall, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to incorrectly believe undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal health insurance programs (30% vs. 18%). Under federal policy, undocumented immigrants are ineligible to enroll in federal health insurance programs like Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP, or to purchase coverage through the ACA Marketplaces. As of June 2024, six states plus D.C. provide fully state-funded health insurance coverage to some income-eligible immigrant adults regardless of status. However, these programs are fully paid for by state funds.

About half or more U.S. adults and immigrant adults either incorrectly believe most immigrants are eligible to receive benefits like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security as soon as they arrive in the U.S. or say they are unsure. Under longstanding federal policy, most lawfully present immigrants, with some exceptions, are generally ineligible to enroll in federal benefit programs like Medicaid, until they have resided in the U.S. for at least five years (see KFF’s companion issue brief on health care use among immigrants for more information). To qualify for Social Security and Medicare, lawfully present immigrants must meet all eligibility requirements, including work and age requirements, which preclude new immigrants from enrolling. About three in ten U.S. adults overall (31%) and one third of immigrant adults (32%) incorrectly believe most immigrants are eligible to receive benefits from Medicaid as soon as they arrive in the U.S., while at least a third of each group (33%, 38%) are unsure. There are similar levels of confusion over Medicare eligibility, with 58% of all U.S. adults and the same share of immigrant adults answering incorrectly or being unsure. About half of U.S. adults overall (53%) and immigrant adults (45%) correctly say immigrants are not eligible for Social Security benefits as soon as they arrive in the U.S., though about half in each group either answer incorrectly or are unsure. Overall, similar shares of U.S. adults and immigrants are confused about immigrants’ eligibility for these federal benefits regardless of their partisanship or citizenship status, respectively, but a higher percentage of U.S. adults who are Republican mistakenly believe immigrants are immediately eligible for Medicaid compared with Democrats (40% vs. 31%).

Most (59%) U.S. adults incorrectly believe that on average, immigrants receive more in government benefits than they pay in taxes, while most (66%) immigrant adults correctly say the opposite: that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government benefits. Among both U.S. adults overall and immigrant adults, there are stark differences by partisanship on this question. About eight in ten (84%) Republican U.S. adults incorrectly believe immigrants receive more in government benefits on average than they pay in taxes, whereas a majority (61%) of Democrats correctly say the opposite. Among immigrant adults, most partisans correctly answer that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government benefits, but Democrats and Democratic-leaning immigrants are more likely than Republicans and Republican-leaners to answer correctly (71% vs. 58%). Perhaps in a reflection of their own ineligibility for many government benefits, about eight in ten (78%) immigrant adults who are non-citizens are aware that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government benefits, while a smaller majority (57%) of immigrant citizens say the same. Analysis shows undocumented immigrants contribute billions in federal, state, and local taxes each year, helping to fund programs they cannot access, including Social Security and Medicare. Research further finds that immigrants pay more into the health care system through taxes and health insurance premiums than they utilize, helping to subsidize health care for U.S.-born citizens.

How Immigrants Have Been Affected by the Campaign

Nearly four in ten (36%) immigrant adults say the way former President Trump has talked about immigrants in his campaign has had a negative effect on how they are treated as immigrants in the U.S., rising to 45% among Asian immigrant adults. Overall, about half of (54%) immigrant adults say Trump’s rhetoric about immigrants has not had an effect on how they are treated, while an additional one in ten (10%) say it has had a positive effect. There are no substantial differences in responses among immigrant adults by citizenship status nor by English proficiency in how they say Trump’s immigrant rhetoric has affected them.

Most (72%) immigrants report that Vice President Harris’s campaign statements about immigrants have had no effect on how they are treated, but perhaps in a nod to her heritage, about three in ten (30%) Asian immigrant adults say her statements have had a positive effect. Overall, about one in five (21%) immigrant adults say they feel the way Harris has talked about immigrants in her campaign has positively affected the way they are treated as immigrants in the U.S., while far fewer (7%) say Harris’s statements have had a negative effect on how they are treated.

A majority of immigrant adults say that immigrants would be better off under a Harris (55%) presidency compared to a Trump presidency (19%), but about one quarter (26%) say who the president is makes no difference in the lives of immigrants. Immigrant partisans are divided on this question. About three quarters (73%) of immigrant Democrats and Democratic-leaners say immigrants will be better off under Harris, whereas about one in four (24%) Republicans and Republican-leaning immigrants say the same. While about four in ten (46%) of immigrants who are Republican or lean Republican say immigrants would be better off under Trump, about three in ten (29%) say it makes no difference who is president.

Immigrant Voters’ Priorities

Immigrants who are citizens and registered to vote prioritize similar issues and are equally motivated to vote in the presidential election as U.S. voters overall. About half of immigrants to the U.S. are naturalized citizens and therefore eligible to vote in U.S. Among these voters, about half (53%) say they are more motivated to vote this year compared to previous presidential elections, similar to the share of all U.S. voters who say the same (59%).

Immigrant voters also prioritize a similar list of issues as U.S. voters overall, with the economy and inflation (39%) and threats to democracy (24%) topping the list of issues these voters say are most important to their presidential vote. About one in ten (9%) citizen immigrant voters say immigration and border security is their top issue, followed by Medicare and Social Security (8%), abortion (5%), and the war in Gaza (5%). Partisan splits on these issues are also similar to U.S. voters overall, with a larger share of Republican and Republican-leaning immigrant voters compared to Democrats/Democratic-leaning immigrant voters prioritizing the economy and inflation (51% vs. 32%), and larger shares of Democrats vs. Republicans prioritizing threats to democracy (35% vs. 3%) and abortion (7% vs. 1%).