Empathy and immigration: Public attitudes toward border security and deportation policies in the United States (forthcoming)

Immigration policy, particularly concerning border security and deportation, remains a deeply polarizing issue in U.S. politics. Although political ideology is a well-documented correlate of immigration attitudes, emotional and psychological mechanisms such as empathy may also play an important role. This study explores whether dispositional empathy predicts support for two controversial immigration policy issues: border enforcement (e.g., U.S.-Mexico border wall expansion, increased patrols) and the deportation of unauthorized immigrants. Drawing on survey data from 331 U.S. adults, our analyses revealed that empathy was significantly associated with lower support for deportation, even after controlling for political and demographic variables. Empathy is also related to reduced support for border security, but this effect weakened and became nonsignificant once ideology and other controls were introduced. Additionally, in line with prior research, conservatives showed higher support for both policies overall. However, individuals residing in Southern border states reported lower support for deportation. These findings highlight the role of emotional, psychological, geographical, and ideological influences on immigration policy preferences and offer important implications for policymakers and future research. Policy recommendations are discussed.