Monnat Speaks With the Associated Press About the Economic Importance of Immigrants

October 5, 2026

The Associated Press

Shannon Monnat

Policy, Place, Population Health and Aging Program

Sociology Department

Center for Policy Research

Federal Government

Rural Issues

U.S. Elections

U.S. Immigration

United States

The Associated Press

Shannon Monnat

An Associated Press-KPFF poll of more than 2,000 rural voters found that opinions on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are divided, with about one-third saying they have benefited their communities, one-third saying they have harmed them and the remaining 3 in 10, roughly, saying they have had no impact.

While most rural voters see legal immigrants as important to their local economies, rural MAGA Republicans are more likely to view Trump’s immigration policies positively.

Shannon Monnat, professor of sociology and director of the Center for Policy Research, says immigration has been a demographic lifeline for much of rural America. Rural areas have been losing young adults for years, she says. “For a lot of small towns, immigrants are the reason the school and hospital stayed open and the county didn’t shrink,” Monnat says.

Read more in the Associated Press article, “Trump’s immigration crackdown divides rural voters as midterms approach, AP-KFF poll finds.”