WASHINGTON — In the wake of two fatal shootings of civilians by federal agents in Minnesota, Americans oppose the current tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enforce immigration laws by a 2-to-1 margin, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
According to a study posted on Ipsos, based on a survey of 2,589 participants, 62% of Americans disapprove of the way ICE is handling law enforcement and immigration policy, compared to 31% who approve. Similarly, nearly 60% of Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration, compared to 40% approval, reportedly the “worst ratings he has had on immigration in his second term, ticking down from his October ratings and almost exactly where he was in July 2019 when 40% approved and 57% disapproved of how he was handling the issue.”
These results follow the shootings in Minnesota, including “the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 — just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7,” according to ABC News.
Although 50% of Americans support “the federal government deporting the about 14 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and sending them back to their home countries,” 58% say Trump is “going too far” in deporting undocumented immigrants. Only 12% say he is “not going far enough,” while 28% say he is “handling it about right,” according to the ABC News report. The number of Americans who supported the federal government deporting all undocumented immigrants was at 56% ahead of the 2024 presidential election, a number that has since decreased by six points.
The survey also demonstrates a stark demographic divide in overall support, as mentioned in the ABC News report, as “Most Hispanic (64%), Black (58%) and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (56%) oppose deporting all undocumented immigrants, while 58% of white people support widespread deportation.”
The survey’s findings also illustrate a sharp partisan divide regarding support for ICE operations, with “88% of Democrats opposed to ICE’s expanded operations and 81% of Republicans in support. A 56% majority of independents oppose ICE’s expanded operations,” according to ABC News.
The Ipsos poll also found,“Seven in 10 Americans do not think most immigrants deported since January 2025 were violent criminals, including 33% who say ‘hardly any’ of those deported were. Only 7% of Americans say ‘nearly all’ of the immigrants who were deported since the beginning of the Trump administration were violent criminals.”
The poll further found that “a slim majority of Americans oppose ICE’s expanded operations to detain and deport undocumented immigrants in the U.S., 53% now, up from 46% in October.” Opposition crosses party lines, with “56% of independents” opposed to expanded operations.
Another key issue addressed by the survey was warrantless searches. In May, an ICE memo granted federal officers the authority to enter the homes of those they suspect are in the country illegally without prior judicial approval. According to the article, “A wide majority of Americans — including majorities across party lines — say that when federal law enforcement wants to forcibly enter someone’s home, they need to get approval from a judge; just 20% say getting approval from a federal agency is enough.”
Concern among Americans also appears to be rising, according to the survey, with “42% say they are at least somewhat concerned that federal immigration enforcement agents could arrest or detain someone they know, including 33% who say they are at least somewhat concerned this could happen to a close family member or friend.”
The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted using Ipsos’ probability-based KnowledgePanel and carries “an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.”
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