Voters Say ICE Is Too Aggressive, 53% to 13%, but 57% Back Broader Enforcement Measures

Asked how their view of mass deportation has changed since November 2024, 25% of Registered Voters say they support it more now and 18% say less. Twenty-four percent (24%) say about the same, 27% say they have never supported it, and 6% are not sure. Likely Voters are nearly identical: 55% call ICE too aggressive, 58% support the enforcement measures, and 26% support mass deportation more now against 18% who support it less.

ICE ratings divide sharply by party, though not evenly. Democrats say ICE is too aggressive by 78%, with 13% calling it about right and 6% not aggressive enough. Republicans are less settled: 46% say about right, 25% too aggressive and 23% not aggressive enough. Independents land at 58% too aggressive, 29% about right and 7% not aggressive enough. The criticism reaches into the president's base, where 20% of voters who strongly approve of Donald Trump and 23% of those who somewhat approve say ICE is too aggressive, although 28% of strong approvers say it is not aggressive enough. Moderates say ICE is too aggressive by 60%, against 25% who say about right and 8% who say not aggressive enough.

On mass deportation itself, 45% of Republicans say they support it more than in November 2024, 33% say about the same, 13% say less and 4% say they have never supported it. Among Democrats, 46% have never supported it, 23% support it less now, 16% say about the same and 9% say more. Independents are the most mixed, at 13% more, 18% less, 27% about the same and 34% never. Approval of the president runs through the answer: 58% of voters who strongly approve of Trump support mass deportation more now, while 53% of those who strongly disapprove say they have never supported it. By race, 29% of White voters support it more now, compared with 20% of Hispanic voters and 9% of Black voters, and 31% of Black voters say they support it less.

Support for the broader enforcement measures reaches well beyond the Republican base. Republicans back them 80% to 12%, and independents 52% to 29% with 18% unsure. Democrats split almost evenly, 40% in support and 43% opposed, with 26% strongly opposed and 15% strongly in favor. Hispanic voters support the measures 51% to 40%, Black voters are divided at 40% to 38%, and moderates favor them 51% to 30%.

The two ideas overlap more than the headline numbers suggest. Among voters who say ICE is too aggressive, 41% support the enforcement measures and 43% oppose them. Voters who support mass deportation less than they did in 2024 back the measures 62% to 29%, while voters who have never supported mass deportation are 27% in favor and 54% opposed. At the other end, 83% of voters who say ICE is not aggressive enough support the measures, as do 87% of those who support mass deportation more now. Within that last group, 47% say ICE is about right, 34% say it is not aggressive enough and 17% say it is too aggressive.

Younger voters do not move as a bloc. Men under 40 are the only age-by-sex group in which more voters support mass deportation less now (28%) than more now (21%), and Gen Z leans the same way at 28% less to 23% more. Women under 40 say more now by 26% to 20%, yet they are the likeliest group to call ICE too aggressive (57%) and the least likely to say it is not aggressive enough (7%). They are also the least supportive of the broader measures, at 45% in favor, 36% opposed, 21% strongly opposed and 19% not sure, compared with 59% in favor among men under 40 and 63% among men 40 and older. Women overall are about twice as likely as men to be unsure on the measures, 19% to 9%.

‍