{"id":2703772,"date":"2026-11-10T17:08:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T22:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngop-lost-gen-z-in-the-midterms-these-young-voters-say-amnesty-deal-would-lose-even-more\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T17:16:53","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T22:16:53","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngop-lost-gen-z-in-the-midterms-these-young-voters-say-amnesty-deal-would-lose-even-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngop-lost-gen-z-in-the-midterms-these-young-voters-say-amnesty-deal-would-lose-even-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Amnesty Would Drive Young Trump 2024 Voters Away From GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngop-lost-gen-z-in-the-midterms-these-young-voters-say-amnesty-deal-would-lose-even-more%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2703772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>After midterm losses, Trump floated immigration deals that could let long-term undocumented residents stay. Young conservative men-many of whom voted for him-feel betrayed, as strict immigration enforcement and protecting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-urge-biden-to-extend-pause-on-student-loan-payments\/\" title=\"... urge Biden to extend pause on student loan payments\">entry-level jobs<\/a> were core issues. Exit polls showed immigration remained a GOP advantage, yet talk of DACA-style legal status and ambiguous \u201cno amnesty\u201d claims sparked backlash. Critics warn any amnesty could cost Republicans generations of voters, likening it to Reagan-era amnesty that shifted California Democratic, and could damage GOP prospects nationwide, especially among Gen Z and young men.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Any amnesty deal pursued by the Trump administration has the potential to drive young men who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 away from the conservative movement for generations.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after massive Republican losses in the midterms, Trump said in an interview that he would think about doing a deal with Democrats on immigration, <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/story\/trump-says-tough-deportation-policies-hurt-midterms\/20026183\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> that his mass deportation effort might have been \u201ctoo tough,\u201d and that some illegal aliens who have been in the United States for \u201c10 to 15 years\u201d could have some sort of \u201cdeal\u201d to allow them to stay.<\/p>\n<p>But amnesty, coupled with the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/03\/exit-poll-iran-war-was-crucial-or-major-factor-for-3-in-4-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highly unpopular Iran War<\/a>, is a recipe for losing a key voting bloc for Republicans well into the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are seeing in real time Trump completely misread the moment. Obviously, this is the response to the sweeping referendum on the Republican Party and himself,\u201d Silas Thoennes, 22, a Kansas State University political science major and president of the school\u2019s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, told The Federalist. \u201cMuch of the Gen Z right wing feels betrayed by Trump with broken promises of affordability and no new wars. Most of the conservatives in our generation think that he is not extreme enough on immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thoennes voted for Trump in 2024 and for Republicans in the midterms.<\/p>\n<p>According to exit polls, immigration is actually the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/exit-polls-voters-favored-dems-170541435.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">only<\/a> major political <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/09\/a-trump-amnesty-deal-would-betray-not-just-his-voters-but-all-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issue<\/a> on which Republicans still held an edge in the midterms, albeit a slight lead of 43 percent to 41 percent. Republicans won 51 percent of voters who said that immigration was a \u201ccrucial or a major factor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mass deportations and stopping illegal immigration at the border have been central to the Trump movement from its earliest days, and are particularly important to young males, who see the issue, including its consequential demographic change and employment concerns, as existential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a very unfortunate walking back of one of the biggest reasons that we voted for him,\u201d Liam Ritter, 21, a college student in Texas and Trump 2024\/Republican 2026 voter, told The Federalist. \u201cPeople who are concerned about immigration for the right reasons, it\u2019s because they see the negative impact on the economy. They see all of the thousands of entry-level jobs that are scooped up by illegals who show up here and just get, a lot of the times, handed a job in exchange for a vote \u2014 at least that\u2019s how a lot of young people see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ritter said he probably has a \u201cmore pro-immigrant stance than the average Trump 24 voter,\u201d stating his mother is an \u201cimmigrant from a Third World country, and she\u2019s done very well for herself in this country, and I\u2019d like to think that she contributes to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, the view that there should be no immigration whatsoever, legal or illegal, including shutting down the H-1B and putting a \u201ctotal halt on anybody coming from the Third World for any reason,\u201d is one that \u201cseems to be really popular among young men in America,\u201d Ritter said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/circle.tufts.edu\/latest-research\/youth-shifts-defined-2026-midterm-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> the young (18-29) male vote in 2024, 56 percent to Kamala Harris\u2019 42 percent \u2014 a 14-point advantage. By 2026, the vote swung dramatically, with the same demographic supporting Democrat House candidates 59 percent to Republicans\u2019 37 percent.<\/p>\n<p>For young white men specifically, Trump won about 63 percent of their vote in 2024 (compared to Harris\u2019 35 percent), whereas Democrats won them 54 percent to Republicans\u2019 43 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The shift suggests young voters are not bound by party affiliation or loyalty. They seem to vote based on the message of the party and what politicians say they will do. When asked about this phenomenon, older conservatives or conservatives directly involved with politics are often shocked by what they consider to be a lack of foresight and misplaced trust in Democrats who have deep disdain for them and the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In a press briefing Monday, after major backlash from conservatives, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2119913091165311254?a=QGjzeod7baOvqCTFykM&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, \u201cThere\u2019s no amnesty. \u2026 My policy hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d But his comments did little to assuage concerns of conservatives, some of whom pointed out that the statement did not actually foreclose amnesty for those who did not commit a violent crime on top of being in the country illegally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe just says no amnesty and then says yeah we\u2019re only going after the rapists and murders and the rest are people with jobs paying taxes and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d Auron MacIntyre of The Blaze <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AuronMacintyre\/status\/2120004548492173648?a=GICXtVkSbRLexzcFFxA&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It is also tough to know exactly what \u201cno amnesty\u201d means, since this is not the first time Trump and other Trump officials have floated amnesty this term, as The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/08\/trump-promises-no-amnesty-for-illegal-alien-agricultural-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, which has typically focused on agriculture and hospitality workers.<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SophiaCai99\/status\/2119846156310139019?a=92sxNHc8lYXpDkn3W_Q&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to Politico, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration is \u201copen\u201d to an \u201cimmigration deal\u201d that \u201cincludes DACA permanent legal status. But draws red line on amnesty.\u201d As Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chiproytx\/status\/2119886083609477532?a=Zl3a7_FNRffAIACDTCs&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointed out<\/a>, \u201cWell that IS amnesty and will cement political devastation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also did not help that the White House\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2119618804749660555?a=B67giC3IpvsPeFBJzCI&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">immediate response<\/a> to the backlash on floating amnesty seemed callous to many, stating that despite the fact that Trump clearly described amnesty, that concern was \u201cwrong. The word \u2018amnesty\u2019 was never even said in this entire exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post received a community note on X.<\/p>\n<p>If amnesty of any form does happen, it \u201cwill be seen as only another \u2018knife in the back\u2019 and further exacerbate the outrage,\u201d Theonnes said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he think he will win over members of the left for attempting to appease them or moderate on immigration? You cannot beat progressivism with softer progressivism,\u201d he continued. \u201cIn my opinion, an amnesty compromise has the potential to destroy the Trump legacy and cause serious, long-term disdain among Gen Z conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long-term disdain is one thing, but last time the United States gave out mass amnesty, it caused generational losses for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>President Ronald Reagan doled out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/glossary-term\/50744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amnesty to millions of illegals<\/a> in 1986, and the formerly Republican California almost immediately turned overwhelmingly Democrat overnight.<\/p>\n<p>California was <a href=\"https:\/\/electoralvotemap.com\/states\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voting<\/a> consistently Republican, sometimes even in large, double-digit margins, until 1988 with George H.W. Bush\u2019s 3.6-point victory, whereafter the effects of the 1986 Reagan mass amnesty captured the state for Democrats in a way that has been insurmountable ever since.<\/p>\n<p>As Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/314093741562535936?a=yl2Uv9e4spE0YAEaqGw&#038;s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">observed<\/a> in 2013, \u201cAmnesty is suicide for Republicans. Not one of those 12 million who broke our laws will vote Republican. Obama is laughing at @GOP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That is provably true in California, and Texas, which voted heavily Democrat in 2026, would be the next major state to fall. But even today, illegal immigrants are much more widespread than in 1986, and an amnesty deal would be sure to block countless other states from Republican wins far into the future.<\/p>\n<p>Even if the play were somehow to convince Hispanic voters to vote Republican by allowing illegal aliens amnesty, polling suggests that voting bloc is still driven by economic concerns much more than immigration, meaning mass deportations had relatively little to do with their swing back to Democrats.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Hispanic voters are primarily driven by economic issues (45%) rather than immigration (15%).<\/p>\n<p>That led to a big Latino swing toward Trump in 2024, and a swing back to Democrats in 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tj5aG78hfS\">pic.twitter.com\/Tj5aG78hfS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FrankLuntz\/status\/2119956271772455389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn 2016, in 2020, and in 2024, Trump ran on being anti-establishment. He ran on the idea that he isn\u2019t controlled by anybody. He ran on the idea that nobody can tell him what to do, and that he\u2019s the straight shooter,\u201d Ritter said. \u201cAmnesty for illegal immigrants, I think, to myself and to a lot of my friends, feels like a reversal of that. It feels like we had all of these promises from this guy, who told us he wasn\u2019t like the other politicians, and as soon as his popularity takes a dip, we\u2019re seriously talking about reversing one of his major campaign promises \u2014 that\u2019s a big letdown. That\u2019s a real disappointment. I don\u2019t regret voting for him, but I\u2019m quite disappointed.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/permabulla\/status\/2119636487742411046\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amnesty talks could push young Trump voters away<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2703773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/55585493221_ac64ffb139_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3712,3813,87726],"class_list":["post-2703772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-amnesty","tag-immigration","tag-youth-vote-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/55585493221_ac64ffb139_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2703772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2703780,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703772\/revisions\/2703780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2703773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2703772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2703772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2703772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}