While Americans disagree with the harsh tactics employed by Donald Trump, sending masked agents in combat gear and equipment into American neighborhoods to clash with American citizens, most support the view that immigrants living illegally in the US should be deported, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed. However, this disagreement could cost him and his party in the November 3rd midterm elections. Specifically, 61% of respondents in the six-day survey completed on Monday – including 92% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats – say they “support deporting undocumented immigrants.”
Trump’s mistakes
Trump’s positions on the issue helped him win the presidential election, as he accused Democratic politicians of supporting “open borders.” 63% of Democrats and only 7% of Republicans say they do not support the deportation of illegal immigrants.
During his State of the Union address, Trump tried to reclaim the immigration narrative that wins elections after the wave of violence caused by the deployment of ICE paramilitary groups accompanied by clashes with citizens, family separations, arrest and detention of children, and deaths of American citizens. Trump told Congress that the target now is criminals: “They’re getting out of here fast.”
ICE crossed the line
60% of Americans – including one-fifth of Republicans and 1 in 10 Democrats – believe that agents from immigration enforcement services went too far, according to the poll. Among those who don’t belong to either party, 65% believe authorities went too far. These independent voters could prove crucial to the outcome of the November 3rd midterm elections, when Republicans will seek to maintain their slim majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Disapproval of Trump’s tactics is particularly high among Hispanic and Black Americans, two voting communities that Trump gained access to in 2024. 74% of Black Americans and 72% of Hispanics say they don’t like the way the Trump administration handles deportations. The corresponding percentage among white voters is 51%. Since February 2025, Trump’s approval among Hispanic Americans decreased by 7 percentage points to 29% in the latest poll. Among Black Americans it decreased by 2 percentage points to 14%. Among white Americans it decreased by 4 percentage points to 49%.
Disagreements in US domestic policy
Significant internal disagreements have emerged in both US political parties regarding methods of combating illegal immigration. Among Republicans who support deportations, 23% express dissatisfaction with immigration enforcement tactics. Democrats, beyond being divided on whether undocumented immigrants should be deported or not, also disagree on whether to abolish ICE.
63% of Democrats say ICE should be abolished, while 30% disagree. The percentage of those supporting abolition has increased compared to a 2018 Reuters/Ipsos poll, when 44% of Democrats supported the idea. In the latest poll, only one-third of independents support dissolving ICE, a percentage unchanged from 2018. Few Democratic candidates this year have supported abolishing ICE, while centrist organizations like Third Way warn that adopting this position could harm Democrats in the November midterm elections.
