Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is one of the most divisive federal agencies in the United States. New Trendency data shows that public opinion of ICE’s actions under former President Trump is sharply split, not simply by politics, but by how Americans perceive the agency’s treatment of immigrants. For many, the debate is less about immigration policy and more about the limits of enforcement and fairness.

Overall, 2 out of 5 (59%) feel that ICE tactics have gone too far, while 22% feel they are about right, and an additional 19% feel like they haven’t gone far enough. A majority of most demographic groups feel that ICE tactics go too far, except for men (49.7%), Republicans (16.2%), and, somewhat surprisingly, Latino/Hispanic Americans (41.4%). Less surprisingly, there is also a near-perfect correlation between the approval of ICE overall and views on their tactics. 

Here are the key takeaways from this week’s chart:

• 😮‼️Unshockingly, partisanship affects these numbers: It feels like this is likely not worth pointing out, but yes, Democrats and Republicans have different views on ICE. As mentioned above, just 16% of Republicans feel that ICE’s tactics have gone too far, compared to 94% of Democrats. Additionally, 38% of Republicans feel that ICE needs to step up its tactics, by far the highest concentration when looking at different demographic groups.
• ☯️⚖️Hispanic Americans have one of the highest concentrations of those who feel ICE’s tactics are about right: Nearly 2 out of 5 Latino/Hispanic Americans (38%) feel that ICE’s approach is about right. This is the highest concentration outside of Republicans, and three times higher than Black Americans.
• 👴👵Older Americans tend to be less critical: While a majority of Americans of all age groups disapprove of ICE’s tactics, Americans under 55 hold this view much more strongly. Three-quarters (74%) of 18-34 feel the tactics have gone too far, while 51% of those 55-64 feel the same way.