© EPA/ERIK S. LESSER Immigration raids are increasingly commonplace in the US.
A significant portion of Americans concur with US President Donald Trump that immigrants residing in the United States unlawfully should face deportation, yet they disapprove of his stringent strategies , notably the deployment of immigration officers in protective gear who have clashed with US residents, as demonstrated by a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey .
The survey outcomes underscore both extensive backing for Trump’s emphasis on immigration management and widespread disapproval of his methods, which could adversely affect the Republican Party’s performance in the November 3 congressional midterm elections.
61% of those surveyed, encompassing 92% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats, expressed their support for deporting undocumented immigrants. Trump’s position on this matter aided his triumph in the 2024 presidential election, where he criticized Democrats for “open borders.”
63% of Democrats indicated their opposition to deporting undocumented immigrants, in contrast to 7% of Republicans.
During his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, February 24, Trump aimed to reassert dominance over immigration, a crucial aspect of his political appeal prior to a series of street confrontations involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel that resulted in family separations and the deaths of two U.S. citizens. On Tuesday, Trump asserted that his focus was on criminals, stating, “We’re getting them out of here fast.”
Migration agents “overstepped”
Around 60 percent of Americans, including a fifth of Republicans and nine out of ten Democrats, consider that immigration officers have overstepped their bounds. Among those who do not affiliate with either party, 65 percent believe the government’s measures against immigrants are excessive. These unaffiliated voters could represent a pivotal demographic in November as Republicans strive to retain their majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Discontent with Trump’s strategies is notably pronounced among African Americans and Latinos, two voter groups among whom Trump managed to enhance his standing during the 2024 election.
Since February 2025, Trump’s overall approval rating among Latinos has decreased by 7 percentage points to 29% in the most recent survey. Among African Americans, it has declined by 2 percentage points to 14%. Among white Americans, it has dropped by 4 percentage points to 49%.
There exist substantial internal disagreements within both political parties regarding immigration enforcement matters. Among Republicans who advocate for deportation, 23% expressed their disapproval of the current methods employed by immigration enforcement agencies. Democrats, in addition to their differing opinions on whether to deport undocumented immigrants at all, also disagree on whether to abolish ICE, the primary agency for immigration enforcement.
Sixty-three percent of Democrats stated that ICE should be abolished, while 30 percent opposed this. This represents a considerable increase from a 2018 Reuters/Ipsos poll, which indicated that 44 percent of Democrats supported the concept. The latest survey revealed that only a third of independents support abolishing ICE, which remains largely unchanged from 2018.
Only a small number of Democratic candidates for Congress this year have advocated for abolishing ICE, and centrist organizations have cautioned that endorsing such an idea could harm Democrats in the November elections.
The six-day Reuters/Ipsos survey, which concluded on Monday, Feb. 23, was administered online among 4,638 American adults and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
In the US, immigration raids are becoming increasingly routine, and protests serve as the last bastion of defense for civil liberties. Which poses a greater threat to democracy — unlawful immigration or an armed state that victimizes its own citizens? What are the repercussions of power politics and why the struggle against migrants is reshaping the very essence of American democracy — Anna Brodsky-Krotkina explored in the article “ From Roundups to Authoritarianism: Where the Fight Against Migrants Is Leading America ” .