IDAHO — The 11th annual Idaho Public Policy Survey, conducted in the fall of 2025 by Boise State University, found that 85% of respondents favored a pathway to legal working status for dairy workers and their families who have resided in Idaho for over 10 years without a criminal record. This support included 56% who were strongly supportive and 29% who were somewhat supportive of such a pathway.

Overall, 9% of respondents opposed this pathway. Republican respondents showed 79% in favor, while 88% of independents and 95% of Democrats also favored a legal pathway for long-term resident dairy workers. The survey polled 1,000 adults.

Fifty-three percent of survey respondents believed that an increased presence from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would negatively impact Idaho's agricultural economy. In contrast, 19% of respondents thought increased ICE presence would be beneficial, and 18% saw no impact. Another 10% were unsure about the potential effects.

Among Republican respondents, 35% said that an increased ICE presence would help Idaho's agricultural economy. Eleven percent of independent respondents shared this view, while less than 3% of Democratic respondents thought an increased ICE presence would be helpful. Agribusiness contributes 20% of Idaho's annual GDP, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

Idaho ranks as the fourth-largest milk producer in the U.S., according to the Idaho Dairymen's Association. Ninety percent of Idaho dairy workers are foreign-born. Nationwide, 86% of farmworkers are foreign-born, and 45% of U.S. farmworkers are undocumented, according to the Center for Migration Studies.

The number of immigrants living in the U.S. has been declining for the first time since the 1960s. The Department of Homeland Security reported that mass deportations and escalated immigration enforcement resulted in nearly 3 million people exiting the country during the first year of the second Trump administration. Despite this, the Trump administration indicated in 2025 that it would not target farms for immigration enforcement. The U.S. agricultural workforce declined by 7% between March and July 2025.

The Pew Research Center reported that half of all respondents disapprove of the administration's approach to immigration, with more than half indicating that the then-current administration was doing too much regarding deportation. Twenty percent of Republicans also shared the view that the administration was doing too much regarding deportation.

Why It Matters

The survey results provide insight into public opinion in Idaho regarding immigration policy, specifically concerning agricultural workers. Idaho's agricultural sector is a part of its economy, with agribusiness accounting for one-fifth of the state's annual GDP. The state is a major milk producer, and a large majority of its dairy workforce is foreign-born. These factors create a specific context for immigration discussions within Idaho.

The findings also intersect with broader national trends in immigration enforcement and public sentiment. The decline in the U.S. immigrant population and the reported impact of deportations on the agricultural workforce show potential economic consequences tied to immigration policy. The survey's detailed breakdown of support and opposition by political affiliation suggests varying perspectives on the economic benefits or harms of immigration enforcement.