Nearly 3 in 4 Americans back ICE reforms as support for Trump deportations dips
WASHINGTON, DC: A sizable majority of Americans believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs significant changes, though the country remains divided over how far those reforms should go, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
Nearly three in four US adults support some form of change to the agency. A plurality, 43%, say ICE should be reformed, while 29% say it should be abolished outright. Another 29% say it should continue operating in its current form.
The survey, conducted from Jan 27 through Friday after federal agents fatally shot two Americans in Minneapolis, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
Approval of President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation policies has also fallen sharply in the wake of the Minneapolis shootings.
Poll finds ICE tactics seen as going ‘too far’
Public concern centers largely on ICE’s enforcement tactics.
Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel have gone “too far” in their enforcement actions. Just 23% say the tactics have been about right, while 10% say they have not gone far enough.
Overall, 66% of Americans disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, compared with 34% who approve. In a recent interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas, Trump acknowledged criticism of the agency’s approach. Reflecting on the Minneapolis incident, he said, “Maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch,” before adding, “But you still have to be tough.”
Sharp partisan divides, with cracks among Republicans
Views on ICE break sharply along partisan lines. A majority of Republicans (71%) say ICE should continue in its current form. In contrast, most Democrats and independents support reform or abolition. Democrats are almost evenly split between reform and abolition, while a majority of independents favor reform but not dismantling the agency.
Still, divisions are emerging within the GOP. About a quarter of Republicans say ICE should be reformed, and 5% say it should be abolished. Those Republicans are more likely to identify with the traditional Republican Party than with Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.
Similarly, while 57% of Republicans say ICE’s tactics have been about right, 21% say they have gone too far. A comparable share disapproves of how ICE is handling its job.
People react to masks, immunity and accountability
The poll also shows broad opposition to some ICE enforcement practices. Sixty-three percent of adults disapprove of federal immigration officers wearing face masks during enforcement actions, including nearly half who “strongly disapprove.” Opposition includes 90% of Democrats, 75% of independents and 18% of Republicans.
An overwhelming 87% of Americans say federal officers should not be granted immunity from prosecution for unlawful activity during immigration enforcement. That includes more than 9 in 10 Democrats and independents and 73% of Republicans.
Immigration policy remains deeply divided
Despite consensus on some enforcement reforms, Americans remain split over broader immigration policy. Two-thirds of respondents support offering undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship, while one-third favor deportation.
Majorities of Democrats and independents back a pathway to citizenship. Among Republicans, however, views diverge sharply: only 18% of self-identified MAGA supporters support a pathway, compared with 41% of those who identify more broadly as Republican Party supporters.
Poll comes as funding fight looms in Congress
The poll comes as Congress debates federal funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, with a potential DHS shutdown looming at the end of the week.
Democratic leaders say they will not support additional funding without reforms, including requiring judicial warrants for actions on private property, banning officers from wearing masks while mandating visible identification, and guaranteeing due process protections for detainees.
