A community member confronts a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in a vehicle in Minneapolis. Photo by Go Nakamura/Reuters
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WHAT AMERICANS THINK ABOUT ICE RIGHT NOW By Matt Loffman Senior Elections Producer
Americans largely disapprove of the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as recent enhanced enforcement operations spread to new cities across the country, a new PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll found.
A majority say ICE is making Americans less safe, and a growing number believe the agency's actions have gone too far.
Meanwhile, anti-ICE protests that have grown in size and visibility in recent weeks are viewed by a majority of Americans as mostly legitimate and not unlawful.
Six in 10 Americans disapprove of the job ICE is doing, while about 3 in 10 approve. Opinions about the agency and its actions are sharply divided along political lines, with 91% of Democrats and 66% of independents registering their disapproval. Republicans, however, remain supportive, with 73% approving of the agency's work.
Image by Steff Staples/PBS News
The situation has put President Donald Trump in an "untenable position," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
Pictures and videos of armed and masked immigration agents detaining people, including U.S. citizens, on the streets of American cities have flooded social media in recent weeks. As Americans see those recent arrests, as well as shootings, from multiple angles, the "bad imagery" has led to a dramatic shift in support.
"Questions rise in people's minds as to whether this is a good policy," Miringoff said.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the latest poll — 65% — feel ICE has gone too far in enforcing immigration laws, a jump from 54% last June, when the Trump administration began enhanced enforcement efforts in Los Angeles. That's driven largely by Democrats and independents, but a growing share of Republicans say the same.
Another 22% of respondents say the agency's actions are about right, compared to 26% last year. The percentage that believes ICE is not going far enough in its efforts dropped from 18% to 12% today.
Image by Steff Staples/PBS News
The latest poll was conducted in the days that followed the killing of Alex Pretti by Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis, the second fatal shooting of an American citizen by federal immigration officials in the city this year.
Pretti's death — and public outcry over the aggressive tactics of agents — sparked a shakeup in the administration's immigration efforts. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who had overseen the crackdown in Minneapolis and other cities, was removed from his post and replaced with White House border czar Tom Homan, whom Trump personally dispatched to be the public face of the operation.
Homan announced earlier this month that 700 federal immigration agents would leave Minnesota immediately, leaving about 2,000 personnel behind for now. In one of the more notable shifts in recent days, ICE agents have been able to take custody of undocumented immigrants directly from local jails before they are released, which Homan called "smart law enforcement" that requires fewer officers to be deployed on the city's streets.
Trump's tone about immigration also shifted. He said in an interview last week with NBC News that the federal response could use a "bit of a softer touch" while still remaining "tough."
"The White House has blinked on Minneapolis," Miringoff said about the recent changes in leadership and scope of the operation. "They need to change the narrative."
A majority of Americans — 62% — believe ICE's actions are making Americans less safe. Another 37%, including 77% of Republicans, say America is more safe.
More on politics from our coverage:
Watch: Fallout from Epstein files grows as Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth before Congress.
One Big Question: Our poll shows a majority of Americans disapprove of the job that Trump is doing. How significant is that disapproval? NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
A Closer Look: Mica Rosenberg of ProPublica details life for children and families detained in an ICE migrant facility in Texas.
Perspectives: One-on-one with Ambassador Mike Huckabee on what's next for Gaza and the Middle East.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION
Watch the clip in the player above.
By Matt Loffman Senior Elections Producer
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security, including acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, testified before Congress on Tuesday following the killings of two citizens in Minneapolis last month.
ICE was established in 2002, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, there have been four Senate-confirmed directors of the agency. It has had no permanent leader since 2017 and has seen 12 acting directors since then.
Our question: Who was the first director of ICE after the agency was established?
Send your answers to NewsHourPolitics@newshour.org or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.
Last week, we asked: Which amendment expanded voting rights to include women?
The answer: The 19th Amendment. While the 19th Amendment became law in 1920, Black, Indigenous and women of color had to continue to fight for their own enfranchisement as discriminatory policies kept them from the ballot box.
Congratulations to our winners: Mary Cobb and Julie Hanson!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We'll drop into your inbox next week.
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