Reuters/Ipsos Poll Shows Majority Say Trump Immigration Crackdown Goes Too Far After Minneapolis Killings
A Reuters/Ipsos national poll finds a majority say President Trump’s immigration crackdown has gone “too far,” with 39% approving and 53% disapproving of his handling of immigration — the lowest rating since his return to office and coming after Minneapolis raids and related incidents, including the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti and a controversial encounter involving Renee Good. Other national polls, private GOP polling and focus groups show growing independent and swing‑voter unease that ICE tactics are “too tough” and that the administration is targeting more than dangerous criminals, prompting some Republican advisers to quietly consider recalibrating enforcement even as officials like Kristi Noem publicly defend the operations and dispute critics’ numbers.
📌 Key Facts
- A Reuters/Ipsos national poll finds a majority say President Trump's immigration crackdown 'goes too far'; the poll shows 39% approve and 53% disapprove of his handling of immigration — his lowest immigration rating since returning to office — and was conducted Friday through Sunday, spanning before and after the Border Patrol killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
- CBS polling shows 61% of Americans now describe ICE's stop‑and‑detain operations as 'too tough,' up from 56% in November; overall support for Trump's deportation program has dipped to the lowest point of his second term, though Republicans and MAGA identifiers continue to back it strongly.
- Multiple polls and reporting indicate the public increasingly believes the administration is deporting more than just 'dangerous criminals' and is not prioritizing violent offenders as it had promised.
- Axios reports private GOP polling (reviewed by Trump’s team) finds 60% of independents and 58% of undecided voters say Trump is 'too focused' on deportations and about one‑third believe he is deporting law‑abiding people; senior Trump advisers and some Republican lawmakers are quietly discussing 'recalibrating' the immigration approach because televised Minnesota raids are politically damaging and are overshadowing the administration's cost‑of‑living message.
- Other national polls (CNN, YouGov, AP) show declining approval and growing concern that ICE operations make cities less safe (AP reported 38% approval), and public commentary — including a high‑profile critique likening the raids to 'Gestapo' tactics — has amplified backlash.
- Reporting adds a new federal detail that an ICE agent struck by Renee Good’s vehicle suffered internal bleeding to the torso, a fact that conflicts with local officials who minimized the agent's injuries and could shape perceptions of whether Good's killing was self‑defense or excessive force.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the Minneapolis‑area surge on Face the Nation as 'the largest operation' in DHS history with 'nearly 3,000' federal agents, asserted every detainee had 'committed a crime' and that 70% had violent charges or convictions, and publicly disputed CBS's use of DHS data (a cited 47% conviction rate), at one point accusing the network of lying.
- NPR focus groups of 14 Pennsylvania swing voters (Biden 2020, Trump 2024) found 6 said ICE has gone 'too far,' 8 said it's 'about right,' none said 'not far enough'; awareness of the Renee Good shooting was high, blame was split (4 blamed Good, 5 the agent, 4 both), only 2 blamed Trump for deploying agents, and all preferred the president focus more on the domestic economy and opposed using force to seize Greenland.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
A storm is brewing
"A Playbook analysis ties an imminent, disruptive winter storm to compressed Congressional deadlines and pairs that short‑term logistical pressure with new polling showing public unease about the administration’s high‑visibility ICE operations—arguing the combined effects risk splintering Trump’s 2026 coalition unless Republicans shift toward a narrower, public‑safety message."
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
3:23 PM
Support slipping for Trump immigration push as majority say crackdown ‘goes too far’: poll
New information:
- Reuters/Ipsos national poll now finds only 39% approve and 53% disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, his lowest immigration rating since returning to office.
- The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, spanning before and after Border Patrol agents fatally shot a second U.S. citizen protester, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.
- Republican strategist quoted saying enforcement 'missteps' and tactics have turned immigration from a political plus into 'either a neutral issue or a net negative,' emphasizing public discomfort with aggressive ICE methods.
January 22, 2026
10:00 AM
Some voters who backed Trump say ICE is going 'too far'
New information:
- NPR-observed focus groups of 14 Pennsylvania voters who backed Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024 show 6 think ICE has gone 'too far,' 8 say ICE is 'getting things about right,' and none say it has 'not gone far enough.'
- Among these swing voters, awareness of the Renee Macklin Good shooting is high, and blame is divided: 4 blame Good, 5 the ICE agent, and 4 both equally.
- Only 2 of the 14 voters attribute any blame to Trump despite his deployment of federal agents to Minnesota, but all 14 oppose using force to acquire Greenland and want him to focus more on the domestic economy than foreign adventures.
January 18, 2026
5:02 PM
Noem defends Minnesota ICE operations, says judge's order "didn't change anything"
New information:
- The poll numbers are explicitly tied in this article to Noem’s defense of Minnesota operations on 'Face the Nation,' creating a direct contrast between DHS’s position and public sentiment.
- The story specifies that 61% of Americans now describe ICE’s stop‑and‑detain operations as 'too tough,' and situates that as an increase from 56% in November, as context for reaction to Good’s killing.
- Noem is pressed on the polling in real time and nonetheless insists ICE is simply 'enforcing the law' as charged by President Trump.
4:55 PM
Transcript: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan"
New information:
- On 'Face the Nation,' Noem reiterates that the Minneapolis‑area surge involves 'nearly 3,000' federal agents and calls it 'the largest operation' in DHS history, sharpening the scale that CBS’s own polling has been probing.
- She publicly insists that every detainee has 'committed a crime' and claims 70% have violent charges or convictions, a framing that sits alongside CBS’s polling data showing 61% of Americans think ICE tactics are 'too tough' and that they target more than just dangerous criminals.
- In direct exchange with CBS’s anchor, she accuses the network of 'lying' about DHS’s numbers when confronted with a 47% conviction rate from DHS data, turning the pollster–interview subject relationship into a dispute over basic facts.
1:34 PM
CBS News poll finds more Americans say ICE being too tough
New information:
- CBS national polling now finds more Americans describe ICE’s stopping and detaining practices as 'too tough,' and a slim majority say ICE operations are making communities less safe in the areas where they occur.
- Support for Trump’s deportation program has dipped to its lowest point of his second term, even though Republicans, and especially MAGA identifiers, still back it strongly.
- The public increasingly believes the administration is trying to deport more than just 'dangerous criminals' and is not prioritizing such offenders as much as promised.
- Views of the Renee Good shooting in Minneapolis are sharply partisan, with Republicans more likely to call it justified and Democrats and independents saying it was not, and most respondents saying they do not see the administration’s response as fair.
- The same CBS poll shows overwhelming opposition across party lines to using U.S. military force to seize Greenland and broad pessimism about potential military action in Iran, with most Americans expecting any Iran intervention to be long and costly.
January 16, 2026
10:44 AM
Trump's immigration erosion worries his team
New information:
- Axios reports private GOP polling reviewed by Trump’s team in late December showing 60% of independents and 58% of undecided voters think Trump is 'too focused' on deportations, and one‑third believe he is mainly deporting law‑abiding people.
- The piece says some senior Trump advisers are now quietly talking about 'recalibrating' the administration’s immigration approach because of the political damage from televised Minnesota raids, though it is unclear what changes Trump would accept.
- Axios notes that two new national polls (CNN and YouGov) find most Americans now believe ICE makes cities less safe, and an AP poll shows only 38% approve of Trump’s immigration policy; Joe Rogan, a past Trump endorser, is quoted likening the raids to 'Gestapo' tactics.
- Republican lawmakers have privately raised concerns with the White House that the Minnesota operations are politically damaging and are overshadowing Trump’s cost‑of‑living message heading into the 2026 midterms.
January 14, 2026
5:14 PM
ICE agent struck by Renee Good's vehicle suffered internal bleeding to torso, DHS says
New information:
- Supplies a new federal detail about the officer’s injuries that could shape public perceptions of whether the Minneapolis shooting was self-defense or excessive force.
- Highlights a direct factual clash between local commentary (Frey minimizing injuries) and DHS’s account of internal bleeding.
January 09, 2026