On the heels of two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota at the hands of federal immigration agents, 65% of Americans said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has "gone too far," according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. And President Trump is facing the highest intensity of disapproval since just after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The percentage of those saying ICE has gone too far in enforcing immigration laws is an 11-point increase since last summer. It's driven by independents and Democrats; both groups went up by double-digits.
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Trump's overall approval rating remains low at 39%, with 56% disapproving, and a whopping 51% strongly disapproving. That's the highest Marist has seen in its polling since it started asking how strongly respondents approve or disapprove of presidents dating back to 2017.
"The thing in the numbers that we've been experiencing is the shift among some of the folks who voted for him — his voting coalition — not necessarily the governing support he has, but his voting coalition," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
That coalition included younger people, Latinos and independents, all of whom Trump is struggling with in this survey.
"Right now, those groups — they're the ones who deserted," Miringoff added.
Trump's base, on the other hand, is sticking with him on a range of policies that are otherwise unpopular, from ICE's conduct and the job Trump is doing, to tariffs, the need to consult with Congress before taking military action and even whether the United States should take control of Greenland.
On Greenland, for example, almost 7 in 10 Republicans said they supported taking control of the arctic Danish territory, while overwhelming numbers of independents and Democrats opposed such a move.
"For those who are always thinking that, 'Ah! This situation is really going to break loose the Republicans; his base is crumbling,' " Miringoff said, "reports of that tend to be overexaggerating and based on very, very skimpy evidence."
And despite all of the attention on immigration enforcement, as well as Trump's action in Venezuela and threats to invade Greenland in recent weeks, a majority of voters continue to say, by wide margins, that the Trump administration's focus should be on lowering prices.
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Americans largely disapprove of ICE
After two Americans were killed in Minnesota and the uproar that followed, the Trump administration reassigned Greg Bovino, the man who had been in charge of the enforcement operations. On Wednesday, White House border czar Tom Homan, who took over the Minnesota operation, said he was drawing down 700 federal agents in the state.
When asked in an interview with NBC News what he learned from the situation in Minneapolis, Trump said, "I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough. These are criminals. You're dealing with really hard criminals."
Neither of the U.S. citizens killed by federal agents — Renee Macklin Good or Alex Pretti — fit Trump's description, but the shift in tone is notable.
There's good reason for it: Public opinion is not on the Trump administration's side. In addition to the two-thirds who said ICE has gone too far, 6 in 10 also said they disapprove of the job ICE is doing overall, and almost the same number think the agency is making Americans less safe.
When it comes to the mass protests against ICE, by a 59%-to-40% margin, more said the demonstrations are mostly legitimate as opposed to people acting unlawfully.
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Republicans marginally increased in saying ICE has gone too far, but they largely remained steady in their support of ICE. Almost three-quarters said they approve of the job ICE is doing, 77% said the agency is making Americans safer, and about three-quarters said the way it is going about enforcement is either "about right" (45%) or "not far enough" (28%). Three-quarters of Republicans also see the protesters as acting mostly unlawfully.
Trump's job approvals remain low, from the economy to foreign policy
The president's overall job approval rating is just 39%. His approval rating in the Marist poll has now been below 40% since November and is consistent with polling averages also showing a decline.
He is also underwater on how he's handling the economy and foreign policy – 59% disapprove of the president on the economy and 56% disapprove on foreign policy.
Trump's tariffs clearly continue to hurt him. By a 56%-to-31% margin, more people say they hurt rather than help the economy.
On foreign policy, two-thirds oppose the possibility of taking control of Greenland; two-thirds said the U.S. benefits from its relationship with NATO, and 56% of respondents have a favorable view of the alliance; and 72% believe the president should have to consult with Congress before taking military action.
Republicans continue to steadfastly support Trump's policies, but he's lost ground with voters who helped him win in 2024
Trump made it over the finish line in the last presidential election with the help of independents, Latinos and young voters, but this and other surveys show that coalition has frayed.
In this poll, just 30% of independents approve of the job he's doing overall. Almost two-thirds disapprove, 56% strongly so; two-thirds disapprove of how he's handling the economy and nearly 6-in-10 think lowering prices should be the Trump administration's top priority.
In fact, on every single question asked, independents aligned with Democrats — often overwhelmingly.
Trump won a record share of Latinos for a Republican presidential candidate, and as has been the case for months, they have slid heavily away from him. Just 38% of Latinos approve of the job he's doing; 60% disapprove of his handling of the economy and a plurality said lowering prices should be the administration's top priority; 61% disapprove of how ICE is doing its job and 70% think the agency has gone too far.
Trump's base, however, shows no signs of cracks and are outliers in nearly every question. For example:
- 85% approve of the job Trump's doing;
- 80% approve of how he's handling the economy
- 77% approve of how he's handling foreign policy;
- 77% think ICE is making Americans safe, including 52% who say "much more safe," whereas 56% of independents and 80% of Democrats say "much less safe";
- 75% said demonstrators are people acting mostly unlawfully;
- 66% think tariffs are helping the economy;
- 58% don't think the president needs to consult with Congress before taking military action; and
- while a Democrats and independents said lowering prices should be the administration's No. 1 priority, a plurality of Republicans (44%) said it should be immigration.
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