About eight in 10 independent voters said ICE’s use of force has gone too far in nationwide immigration operations, according to a late-July YouGov poll of 1,000 voters commissioned by the Vera Institute of Justice.
The survey was conducted after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot two men during traffic stops in Maine and Texas over six days in July. An earlier YouGov survey conducted before the shootings found 62% of independents believed ICE had gone too far.
Separate Associated Press-NORC polling cited in the source found 30% of adults approved of ICE’s immigration enforcement, while approval among independents stood at 18%.
The same survey found that President Donald Trump’s approval rating on immigration was 39%, down from 49% at the beginning of his term.
The Department of Homeland Security pointed to separate June polling that it said showed 80% of Americans supported deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes. DHS also urged cities to cooperate with ICE.
Read: ICE Traffic Stops Resume After Trump Reverses Pause
Matthew Grossman, a Michigan State University political scientist and public policy professor, described the shift as a vulnerability for Republicans seeking to retain narrow congressional majorities in the November midterms.
Political analyst Kyle Kondik similarly said immigration messages that worked for Republicans in 2024 may be less effective as public opinion changes.
The polling still showed a strong partisan divide. Fewer than two in 10 Republicans said ICE uses excessive force, while about nine in 10 Democrats said the agency has gone too far.
