Most Americans supported Trump’s mass deportations during 2024 election. Now, more want to abolish ICE than not

Most Americans supported the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants during the 2024 election, but now, more Americans support abolishing the agency that carries out those raids, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, than not.

President Donald Trump had campaigned on the promise to carry out the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history, which his Department of Homeland Security has worked on for the past year by sending swarms of federal agents to major cities for removal operations.

A CBS News/YouGov poll from June 2024 showed 62 percent of Americans favored deporting all undocumented immigrants. But as the Trump administration has carried out ICE raids, public opinion has soured.

A new YouGov poll found that 46 percent of Americans somewhat or strongly support abolishing ICE, more than the 41 percent who somewhat or strongly oppose getting rid of the agency. Another 12 percent were unsure.

open image in gallery

Across party lines, most Democrats, 76 percent, supported abolishing ICE, and most Republicans, 73 percent, opposed it. More independents, 47 percent, supported putting an end to the agency than the 35 percent who opposed it.

The poll was taken after a second U.S. citizen was fatally shot by DHS agents in Minneapolis within a month. A Border Patrol officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, on Saturday after a confrontation between agents and civilians escalated.

open image in gallery

According to footage of the shooting, officers wrestled Pretti to the ground before taking a gun that was tucked into the man’s waistband. Then multiple shots are fired at Pretti.

Speaking about the incident, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that federal agents were conducting an operation against an undocumented immigrant when a person approached Border Patrol officers with a handgun and that one of the officers “fired defensive shots” after “fearing for his life.” The only thing Pretti appeared to be holding in his hands during the confrontation was a phone, according to footage.

open image in gallery

Earlier this month, Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot by a federal agent as she was behind the wheel of her car. The Trump administration also framed that shooting as self-defense.

Nearly half of Americans in the new YouGov poll, 48 percent, said they strongly disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, and another 9 percent somewhat disapprove. When asked how they would describe ICE’s tactics, 58 percent said they are too forceful.

Trump’s overall approval rating has sunk to 38 percent in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. According to the survey, 53 percent of Americans disapproved of the president's handling of immigration, and just 39 percent approved.