A growing share of Americans say they lack confidence in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). More support cuts to spending on ICE than do for any of nine other types of federal government spending asked about.
What you need to know about Americans' views on ICE, as of the January 23 - 26, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- 55% of Americans say they have very little confidence in ICE, an increase of 10 percentage points since mid-December
- Confidence in ICE has declined most among Independents: 67% now say they have very little confidence in the agency, up from 49% in December
- Three-quarters of respondents started this week's survey after the shooting of Alex Pretti
- More Americans say they have very little confidence in ICE than say so about any of the 10 other entities asked about in this week's survey: television news, big business, newspapers, the church or organized religion, the United Nations, the medical system, banks, NATO, organized labor, and small business
- Americans are also more likely to support cuts to ICE than to other types of federal government spending: 51% want ICE funding to be decreased a lot or a little. Fewer than half are in favor of decreasing spending in each of nine other areas asked about: foreign aid, national defense, food stamps, the environment, education, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and veterans
- Majorities of Democrats (80%) and Independents (56%) want ICE spending to be decreased
- Most Republicans (55%) support increasing spending on ICE and only 17% support spending cuts
See other recent YouGov polling on ICE and immigration enforcement:
- Today more Americans support than oppose abolishing ICE
- How Americans feel about 10 recent Department of Homeland Security social media posts
- How watching video of the Minneapolis ICE shooting affects Americans' polarized views
- After the shooting in Minneapolis, majorities of Americans view ICE unfavorably and support major changes to the agency
- More Americans view the ICE shooting in Minnesota as unjustified than say it is justified
Image: Getty (Brandon Bell / Staff)
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