Republican lead on immigration slips amid Trump's enforcement tactics, poll finds

'Operation Metro Surge' to end in Minnesota

The Trump administration is ending the ICE surge in Minnesota following agreements with local authorities. The decision follows consultations with President Trump and changes in cooperation with local law enforcement. Border Czar Tom Homan says the drawdown has already begun and will continue through next week.

The Republican Party’s advantage on immigration has shrunk in recent months as political independents appear increasingly uncomfortable with the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The new polling comes after President Donald Trump’s crackdown in Minneapolis, where thousands of heavily armed masked agents were sent to detain illegal immigrants. Violent clashes with protesters – including two U.S. citizens killed by federal agents – have sparked protests nationwide. 

‘Gone too far’

By the numbers:

The poll found about 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump has "gone too far" by sending federal agents into American cities. Among Democrats, that number rises to 9 out of 10. 

RELATED: ICE surge in Minnesota is ending, Border Czar Tom Homan says

Trump’s approval on immigration appears to have fallen significantly among independents since last spring, from 37% in March 2025 to 23% in the new poll.

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults trust Republicans to do a better job handling immigration, while a similar share say the same of Democrats. An additional 3 in 10, roughly, don’t think either party would do a better job handling the issue, and about 1 in 10 say both parties would handle it equally well.

Republican advantage narrows

Dig deeper:

Political observers say the narrowing of the GOP’s advantage on immigration is a warning sign for the party. In October, 39% of U.S. adults said they trusted the Republicans to better handle immigration, while 26% said that about the Democrats, giving the GOP a 13-point edge. In the new poll, the difference between the parties is only 4 points.

What they're saying:

"I am glad that immigrants aren’t just flooding across the border, but what he’s doing now in our cities, pitting the military against our people, these are gestapo tactics," independent Brenda Shaw, a 65-year-old human resources manager from South Haven, Michigan, told the AP. "They’re shooting U.S. citizens in the face and in the back."

Observers film ICE agents as they hold a perimeter after one of their vehicles got a flat tire on Penn Avenue on February 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

"Having the border shut, that’s OK. But what Trump is doing with ICE and Homeland Security? You don’t go yanking people out of cars. You don’t go shooting people," said independent Rick Kinnett, a 60-year-old Navy veteran from Crawfordsville, Indiana.

"I spent eight years in the military. This is not what I signed up for," he said. "This is not what we’re supposed to do. This is not constitutional."

The other side:

Republican support for the president hasn’t wavered. According to the new survey, about half of Republicans say that Trump’s actions have been "about right," while about one-quarter of Republicans say he hasn’t gone far enough.

RELATED: ICE faces oversight concerns after recent series of agent arrests, analysis finds

"I don’t think the deportations have been enough, to be honest. I think it’s much too lax," Teviss Crawford, a 20-year-old student from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told the AP. "If you crossed into our country illegally, it’s just not right. You’re taking things away from people who were born here."