Sending ICE agents into U.S. cities has gone too far, 62% of Americans say based on new poll

New poll shows broad public pushback

About six in 10 U.S. adults say President Donald Trump has gone too far in sending federal immigration agents into American cities.

That’s according to a February 2026 AP-NORC poll of 1,156 adults, conducted Feb. 5 through 8 using a probability-based panel at the University of Chicago. The margin of error is about 3.9 percentage points.

The poll asked whether Trump had gone too far, not far enough, or been about right on several immigration actions.

Party loyalty shapes the divide

The split runs along party lines, but not evenly. About nine in 10 Democrats said Trump has gone too far sending agents into cities.

Roughly seven in 10 independents agreed. Only about one-quarter of Republicans said the same.

That gap between the parties is wide, but the independent numbers are what stand out. On an issue Trump made central to his presidency, most people outside his base say he has overstepped.

Most Republicans still back the president

Republican voters have not budged. About half said Trump’s immigration actions have been about right, and roughly one-quarter said he has not gone far enough.

That means about three-quarters of Republicans either support what he’s doing or want more. The president’s base on immigration remains solid, even as the broader public grows more critical.

That loyalty gives Trump a floor of support, but the ceiling may be getting lower.

Independents pull away from Trump on immigration

Trump’s approval on immigration among independents appears to have dropped from about 37% in March 2025 to around 23% in the new poll.

About six in 10 independents now say he has gone too far in deporting immigrants living in the country illegally, up from 46% in an April AP-NORC poll.

The pollsters note that smaller subgroups like independents carry more variability, so the exact size of the shift is less certain.

Republicans lose ground on their signature issue

The GOP once held a clear lead on immigration. In October, about 39% of U.S. adults trusted Republicans more to handle immigration, compared to 26% for Democrats, a 13-point gap.

That lead has shrunk to just four points. About three in 10 adults now trust each party roughly equally, while another three in 10 said neither party would do a better job.

The narrowing shows up across the full AP-NORC poll results.

Agents at protests draw similar criticism

Immigration enforcement is not the only flashpoint.

About 61% of adults said Trump has gone too far in using federal law enforcement at public protests in U.S. cities. The partisan breakdown looks almost identical to the question about agents in cities.

About nine in 10 Democrats and seven in 10 independents said the use of agents at protests has gone too far. Only about one-quarter of Republicans agreed.

Legal immigration restrictions face opposition too

The criticism extends beyond enforcement. About 54% said Trump has gone too far in restricting legal immigration.

And 52% said he has gone too far in efforts to deport immigrants living in the country illegally. That deportation number is close to the 48% who said the same in an April 2025 AP-NORC poll.

The shift is small but consistent, showing public opinion moving in one direction across multiple questions.

ICE favorability drops to new lows

Americans now know what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is, and most don’t like it. About 60% of adults view the agency unfavorably, up sharply from 37% in 2018.

Only about three in 10 adults have a favorable view. Back in 2018, a third of people said they didn’t know enough about ICE to have an opinion.

Now just 6% say that, meaning almost everyone has picked a side.

ICE support splits along familiar lines

The views on ICE follow the same partisan pattern as everything else in the poll. About seven in 10 Republicans view the agency favorably.

Only about two in 10 independents and one in 10 Democrats share that view. Once again, independents land much closer to Democrats than to Republicans.

That alignment matters because it suggests the broader public skepticism toward enforcement is not just a Democratic position.

Approval ratings hold steady and low

Trump’s approval on immigration sits at about 38%, largely unchanged since January. His overall job approval in this poll stands at 36%, with 62% disapproving.

His ratings on the economy and foreign policy are similar. Worth noting: this poll surveys all adults using a probability-based panel.

Other polling averages that include registered and likely voter samples place his overall approval slightly higher, in the low 40s.

Other polls back up the findings

A separate NPR/PBS News/Marist poll from late January found 65% of Americans said ICE has gone too far, an 11-point jump from the previous summer.

In that poll, 71% of independents agreed, up from 59% before.

A January 2026 Pew Research Center survey also found growing shares saying the administration is doing too much to deport immigrants living in the country illegally. Multiple polls now point in the same direction.

2026 midterms loom over the numbers

The shrinking GOP advantage on immigration could matter heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s allies in Congress and state capitals remain united behind him, reflecting strong base support.

But the shift among independents stands out because they helped Trump win in 2024. Whether these trends hold may depend on how enforcement operations unfold in the coming months.

California’s primary is set for June, and midterm campaigns are already taking shape.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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