What are current U.S. public approval ratings for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?

1. National snapshot: a consistent plurality or majority disapprove

Across several independent polls taken in 2025, a plurality or majority of U.S. adults said they disapprove of ICE’s performance—Quinnipiac found 56% of voters disapprove versus 39% who approve ^[1], a Newsweek summary likewise reported 56% disapproval and 39% approval ^[2], Pew Research’s December reporting shows 50% of adults disapprove of the administration’s approach to immigration and 39% approve ^[3], and YouGov noted a majority disapproved of ICE’s job (53% disapprove, 39% approve) in late 2025 reporting ^[4]. These separate instruments converge on the same broad conclusion: approval is under 45% and disapproval exceeds approval by a clear margin ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.

2. Partisan and demographic fault lines drive the numbers

Approval of ICE is sharply polarized by party and by immigrant status: Quinnipiac reported Republicans overwhelmingly approve of ICE’s job (77% approve) while Democrats (89% disapprove) and a majority of independents disapprove ^[1], and the KFF/New York Times immigrant‑voter survey found roughly six in ten immigrant voters disapprove of how ICE is handling its job (59% disapprove) with partisan divisions within that group as well ^[5]. Media reporting and think‑tank analysis echo that approval clusters with Republicans while Democrats and many immigrant communities report low confidence in the agency ^{[1] [5]}.

3. Recent events and policy choices have nudged but not flipped public opinion

Polling through 2025 and into late 2025 shows shifts tied to high‑profile enforcement actions and administration policy choices: coverage of expanded raids, use of federal resources and military support in enforcement, and new enforcement rules have coincided with rising public pushback—Pew and other trackers noted growing shares saying the administration is doing “too much” to deport people and broader disapproval of enforcement tactics ^{[3] [2]}. Yet different surveys indicate that while sentiment has become more negative overall, sizeable coalitions still back stronger enforcement or ICE’s work depending on question framing and partisan cues ^{[6] [2]}.

4. Why numbers vary: question wording, samples, timing and definitions matter

The precise approval percentage depends on poll wording (e.g., “the way ICE is doing its job” vs. “tactics employed by ICE”), the sampled population (registered voters, likely voters, adults, immigrant voters) and timing relative to news events; Quinnipiac measured registered voters in mid‑2025 and found 56/39 disapprove/approve ^[1], Pew’s late‑year snapshot showed 50% disapproval of administration immigration approach and 39% approval ^[3], and YouGov’s late‑2025 analysis recorded 53% disapproval of ICE’s performance ^[4]. That variability is not noise alone but reflects real differences in what respondents are being asked to evaluate—and ICE itself emphasizes a public‑safety mission that some respondents weigh favorably while others judge tactics and effects unfavorably ^[7].

5. Bottom line: ICE is broadly unpopular outside its partisan base, with persistent polarization and subgroup variation

The evidence from multiple reputable polls in 2025 and late‑2025 is clear: ICE’s national approval sits well below majority support and routinely falls in the high‑30s to low‑40s for approval, while disapproval ranges from roughly 50% up to the mid‑50s in some surveys, with large partisan and immigrant‑community cleavages shaping those scores ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}. Given differing question wording, sample frames and ongoing policy actions, poll readers should treat any single percentage as a snapshot rather than a fixed truth, but the overall pattern—limited approval concentrated among Republicans and significant disapproval among Democrats, independents and immigrant voters—is consistent across the cited sources ^{[1] [5] [3]}.