A new national survey found that a majority of Americans disapprove of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is carrying out its mission, according to polling released as the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement efforts across the country.
A New York Times/Siena poll published Friday showed that 63 percent of registered voters disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, while 36 percent said they approve. The disapproval was particularly strong, with 55 percent of respondents saying they strongly disapprove. By contrast, 24 percent said they strongly approve of ICE’s work.
The poll was conducted in the aftermath of a fatal incident in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good. That shooting set off weeks of unrest in the city and became a flashpoint in the broader national debate over immigration enforcement and federal authority.
In response to the unrest, the Department of Homeland Security deployed additional immigration officers to Minnesota as part of the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. DHS has defended the operation as necessary to enforce federal law, but local officials have pushed back, claiming that some citizens and individuals legally present in the country have been unfairly targeted during the operations.
Tensions between federal officers and demonstrators have remained high. Protesters have repeatedly taken to the streets demanding an end to ICE’s presence in the state. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, has gone further, publicly urging DHS to withdraw its agents from the city entirely.
The administration has continued its enforcement push elsewhere as well. On Tuesday, DHS launched another immigration operation in Maine dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” signaling that the crackdown is not limited to Minnesota or major metropolitan areas.
Other polling has reflected similar skepticism toward ICE. A CNN survey conducted earlier this month found that roughly half of respondents believe ICE’s actions are making cities less safe. Only 31 percent said the agency’s operations were making their communities safer, underscoring the divide over the effectiveness and impact of immigration enforcement.
Despite broad disapproval of ICE’s tactics, the New York Times/Siena poll showed the country remains closely divided on deportation policy itself. Fifty percent of respondents said they support the Trump administration’s efforts to deport immigrants living in the United States illegally, while 47 percent said they oppose those efforts. The remaining respondents either said they had not heard enough about the issue or declined to answer.
The poll also measured broader attitudes toward President Trump’s priorities. A majority of respondents, 57 percent, said they believe the president is focused on the wrong issues, while 41 percent said he is focused on the right issues.
The results highlight the political challenges facing the administration as it presses forward with enforcement measures that have energized supporters while provoking fierce resistance in some cities and states. While support for deporting illegal immigrants remains substantial, the public appears far more divided over how those policies are being implemented on the ground.
The New York Times/Siena poll was conducted between Jan. 12 and Jan. 17 and surveyed 1,625 registered voters nationwide. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
As immigration continues to dominate the national conversation, the findings suggest that while Americans are split on the goals of enforcement, dissatisfaction with ICE’s current approach remains widespread.
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