Within the weeks after federal brokers killed two U.S. residents in Minnesota throughout a surge to apprehend undocumented immigrants for deportation, Individuals oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement ways by huge margins and President Donald Trump’s approval on immigration has dipped to the bottom of his second time period, in keeping with an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Trump’s immigration score hits new low for second time period
Trump, who has targeted a lot of his second time period on the immigration crackdown, is now 18 share factors underwater in how Individuals fee his dealing with of immigration — with 58% disapproving and 40% approving — the worst rankings he has had on immigration in his second time period, ticking down from his October ratings and nearly precisely the place he was in July 2019 when 40% accredited and 57% disapproved of how he was dealing with the difficulty.
Regardless of his more and more unfavourable rankings on dealing with immigration since taking workplace, Individuals don’t belief Democrats to deal with the difficulty extra. When requested who they belief to do a greater job dealing with immigration, 38% say they belief Trump extra, 34% belief congressional Democrats extra and 24% belief neither.
Congressional Democrats are demanding a variety of latest restrictions on immigration enforcement amid a Department of Homeland Security funding spat and partial government shutdown. The White Home and Democrats are nonetheless at odds, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday calling the Democrats’ newest transfer within the negotiations “very unserious.”
Federal brokers detain a protester in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 3, 2026.
Charly Triballeau/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
And despite the fact that he’s underwater on dealing with immigration total, Trump’s rankings on dealing with the immigration state of affairs on the U.S.-Mexico border are a bit higher, albeit nonetheless barely unfavourable, with 47% of Individuals approving of how he’s dealing with the state of affairs on the border and 50% disapproving.
Individuals on deportations and ICE
Individuals are roughly cut up over whether or not the federal authorities ought to deport all undocumented immigrants dwelling in the USA, however a rising share oppose expanded ICE operations — and by a 2-to-1 margin, they oppose ICE’s ways.
The outcomes come following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, by federal brokers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 — simply weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a mom of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Half (50%) of Individuals help the federal authorities deporting the about 14 million undocumented immigrants dwelling within the U.S. and sending them again to their residence international locations whereas 48% oppose this.
Assist was even larger for deporting all undocumented immigrants forward of the 2024 presidential election, when 56% of Individuals supported sending all undocumented immigrants to their residence international locations. By last February that dipped to 51%.
Most Hispanic (64%), Black (58%) and Asian and Pacific Islander Individuals (56%) oppose deporting all undocumented immigrants whereas 58% of white folks help widespread deportation.
Even when many Individuals need mass deportations, 58% say Trump goes “too far” in deporting undocumented immigrants, up from 50% who mentioned the identical in October. Simply 12% say he’s “not going far sufficient” and 28% say he’s “dealing with it about proper.”
U.S. Border Patrol officers stroll alongside a road in Minneapolis, Jan. 14, 2026.
Adam Grey/AP
Seven in 10 Individuals don’t assume most immigrants deported since January 2025 had been violent criminals, together with 33% who say “hardly any” of these deported had been. Solely 7% of Individuals say “almost all” of the immigrants who had been deported because the starting of the Trump administration had been violent criminals.
A slim majority of Individuals oppose ICE’s expanded operations to detain and deport undocumented immigrants within the U.S., 53% now, up from 46% in October.
Opinion breaks down on partisan strains, with 88% of Democrats against ICE’s expanded operations and 81% of Republicans in help. A 56% majority of independents oppose ICE’s expanded operations.
By a 2-to-1 margin, Individuals oppose the ways ICE is utilizing to implement immigration legal guidelines, 62% to 31%. Half of Individuals strongly oppose ICE’s ways, together with 89% of Democrats and 53% of independents. Solely 4 in 10 Republicans strongly help the ways ICE is utilizing to implement immigration regulation, rising to over half amongst MAGA Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who name themselves MAGA.
By a 13-point margin, Individuals oppose abolishing ICE, 50% to 37%. Opinions are polarized: 7 in 10 Democrats help abolishing ICE, whereas 8 in 10 Republicans oppose it. Extra independents oppose abolishing ICE (45%) than help abolishing ICE (35%), with 2 in 10 independents saying they haven’t any opinion on the difficulty.
ICE was established in 2003 as a part of the Homeland Safety Act following the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults. Beforehand, the Immigration and Naturalization Service beneath the Justice Division administered immigration legal guidelines. The Abolish ICE political motion gained nationwide consideration in 2018 through the earlier Trump administration’s family-separation coverage.
An ICE memo issued in May gave federal agents the authority to enter the houses of individuals suspected of being within the U.S. illegally with out warrants signed by judges. A large majority of Individuals — together with majorities throughout get together strains — say that when federal regulation enforcement desires to forcibly enter somebody’s residence, they should get approval from a decide; simply 20% say getting approval from a federal company is sufficient.
How Individuals really feel about Minnesota and private impacts
Most Individuals (54%) say they’re both upset (17%) or indignant (37%) over how immigration enforcement has gone in Minnesota, with 72% of Democrats saying they’re indignant. Greater than 4 in 10 Individuals say they’re “not involved” or “involved however not upset” over the state of affairs in Minnesota.
Almost half of Republicans, 47%, say they aren’t involved over immigration enforcement in Minnesota, together with 32% who say they’re involved however not upset.
And whereas majorities of Asian and Pacific Islander (66%), Hispanic (59%) and Black Individuals (61%) say they’re upset or indignant about how immigration enforcement has gone in Minnesota, that dips to 49% amongst white folks.
There’s a private connection for a lot of Individuals — 42% say they’re no less than considerably involved that federal immigration enforcement brokers might arrest or detain somebody they know, together with 33% who say they’re no less than considerably involved this might occur to a detailed member of the family or buddy.
Hispanic (60%), Black (55%) and Asian and Pacific Islander Individuals (53%) are all extra involved that federal immigration brokers might arrest and detain a detailed buddy, member of the family or another person they know than white folks (32%).
Changing Kristi Noem, sanctuary cities and the border
By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, Individuals help changing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem amid the administration’s controversial immigration enforcement ways, 44% to 23%, with 33% voicing no opinion on the matter.
Democrats are extra aligned on changing Noem than Republicans are. Three-quarters of Democrats help eradicating Noem, 7% oppose it and 18% haven’t any opinion. Amongst Republicans, 45% oppose changing Noem, 15% help it and a big 40% say they haven’t any opinion on the matter. Amongst independents, 45% help Noem’s removing, 17% oppose it and 38% haven’t any opinion.
Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem speaks throughout a roundtable assembly on antifa with President Donald Trump within the State Eating Room on the White Home, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
By an 8-point margin, Individuals oppose denying federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities that restrict their cooperation with ICE, 46% to 38%. Eight in 10 Democrats oppose this, over 7 in 10 Republicans help it.
Methodology — This ABC Information-Washington Submit-Ipsos ballot was performed by way of the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel, Feb. 12-17, 2026, amongst 2,589 U.S. adults and has an total margin of error of plus or minus 2 share factors. The error margins are bigger amongst partisan group subsamples.
