Majorities of Americans approve of ending the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and say that the surge was a bad idea. Americans remain more likely to support than oppose abolishing ICE and more likely to disapprove than approve of Donald Trump's handling of immigration. More Americans say that immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay than say they should be deported. Americans are split over whether legal immigration to the U.S. should be expanded or restricted.
What you need to know about Americans' views on immigration and ICE, as of the February 13 - 16, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- A majority (54%) of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of ending the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. Only one-quarter (26%) disapprove of ending the surge
- Majorities of Democrats (61%) and Republicans (55%) approve of ending the surge, as do about half (49%) of Independents
- A majority (54%) of Americans say that sending 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents to Minnesota was a bad idea. About one-third (31%) say it was a good idea
- 46% of Americans would support abolishing ICE and 41% would oppose it. These shares are about the same as last week
- Net approval of Trump's handling of immigration is −11. That means the share of Americans who disapprove (53%) minus the share who approve (42%) is 11 percentage points
- This is a slight improvement from last week, when Trump's net approval on immigration reached a second-term low of −13, but it's still the second-lowest net approval recorded in Trump's current term
- About as many Americans say that illegal immigrants living in the U.S. should be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship as say they should be deported (41% vs. 38%). 7% say that these immigrants should be allowed to stay but not to apply for citizenship
- These shares are about the same as when this question was last asked in December 2025
- Americans are divided over whether the number of legal immigrants admitted into the U.S. each year should be increased or decreased: 23% would increase the number, 32% would keep it the same, 23% would decrease it, and 6% would reduce it to zero
Image: Getty (Chip Somodevilla / Staff)
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