Republicans remain broadly supportive of President Donald Trump, but a growing divide has emerged within the party over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted amid rising tensions and recent deadly encounters involving federal immigration agents.
The survey, conducted Monday and Tuesday, found that while 95% of Republicans continue to approve of Trump’s overall performance as president, a significant minority expressed concern about the use of force by immigration officers. The poll suggests that public approval of Trump’s immigration approach has fallen to its lowest level since he returned to office a year ago.
Respondents were asked whether immigration officers should prioritize avoiding harm to people even if that results in fewer arrests, or whether they should prioritize arrests even if there is a risk of serious injury or death. Among Republicans, 59% supported prioritizing arrests despite the risk of harm, while 39% said officers should focus on reducing harm even if it limits enforcement actions. Democrats were nearly unanimous, with 96% favoring policies aimed at minimizing injuries.
The poll was conducted before a federal immigration agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan man on Wednesday night during an attempted arrest, an incident that followed days of unrest linked to an earlier fatal shooting in Minneapolis.
On January 7, federal immigration officers fatally shot 37-year-old community activist Renee Nicole Good during an immigration raid in north Minneapolis. Video footage showed Good criticizing officers from her car shortly before the shooting. Trump administration officials have described the killing as an act of self-defense, alleging Good attempted to run over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Local leaders and protesters have disputed that account, pointing to video showing her steering away from the officer.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nine in ten Americans had heard at least something about Good’s death, underscoring the national attention surrounding the incident. Protests have since spread to multiple cities, with clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement reported outside federal buildings.
On Tuesday, protesters in Minneapolis confronted ICE officers, who deployed tear gas and flash-bang devices as arrests were made. Violence escalated again Wednesday when two bystanders allegedly intervened during the arrest of a Venezuelan immigrant fleeing a traffic stop. According to the Department of Homeland Security, an immigration officer shot the man in the leg during the confrontation.
Following the unrest, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy military forces to Minnesota.
Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe said the killing of Good has put a human face on the administration’s immigration policies. “Someone died in an altercation with ICE,” Roe said. “That is not what anyone wants to see happening.”
Immigration has long been a political strength for Trump. He campaigned on promises to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, and his approval rating on immigration reached as high as 50% in early 2025. However, the latest poll shows his approval on immigration has dropped to 40%, down from 41% in December, marking a new low since his return to office.
Trump’s overall approval rating also edged down slightly to 41% from 42% earlier in January. Despite the decline, his immigration approval ratings remain higher than those recorded for former President Joe Biden during most of Biden’s 2021–2025 term.
