New Marquette Law School survey shows steady support for deporting illegal immigrants even as approval of ICE tactics remains divided.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Most Americans’ views on immigration enforcement and deportations have shifted little since late 2025, despite a recent surge of high-profile protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a national poll released Wednesday.
The latest Marquette Law School survey found that 56% of respondents favor deporting “immigrants who are living in the United States illegally,” while 44% oppose such action. Those figures are nearly unchanged from November 2025, when 58% supported deportations and 42% were opposed, the poll showed.
The survey was conducted amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement following several deadly encounters involving agents. Polling took place weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, and most interviews were completed before the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Among respondents who support deportations, opinions of ICE itself were mixed. The poll found that 65% of those favoring deportations approve of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 35% disapprove. By contrast, opposition to ICE was nearly universal among respondents who oppose deportations, with 96% disapproving of the agency’s conduct and just 4% approving.
The poll also asked respondents about the use of force in the Jan. 7 shooting. Thirty-seven percent said the shooting of Good was justified, while 62% said it was not.
In response to the findings, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said public support for the administration’s immigration agenda remains strong. “President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are delivering on the American people’s mandate to deport illegal aliens, and the latest polls show that support for the America First agenda has not wavered,” McLaughlin said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. She cited additional polling, including surveys by The New York Times and Harvard Caps Harris, showing broad support for deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records.
“Seventy percent of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” McLaughlin said. “The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after former President Joe Biden’s open-border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
When respondents were asked specifically about deporting people who have lived in the United States for years, hold jobs and have no criminal record, opinions were more divided. Support for deporting such longtime residents stood at 44%, while 56% opposed, unchanged from November 2025.
Among those favoring deportation of longtime residents without criminal records, 78% said they approve of ICE’s conduct, while 22% disapproved. Conversely, 89% of respondents opposed to deporting such individuals disapproved of ICE, compared with 11% who viewed the agency favorably.
The poll was released as Minnesota and other states have seen a wave of anti-ICE demonstrations, including several incidents described as violent amid an ongoing federal enforcement surge. Nationwide student walkouts were also held Jan. 30 as part of a “National Shutdown” protesting ICE operations, USA Today reported.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a Jan. 8 news release that assaults against ICE agents have increased by 1,300% nationwide, with vehicular attacks rising by 3,200%.
In related developments, the Department of Justice confirmed it has opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death, and the two Customs and Border Protection officers involved were placed on administrative leave in late January. Border czar Tom Homan announced Wednesday that the administration will withdraw 700 federal law enforcement officers from Minnesota, CNBC reported.
The Marquette Law School poll was conducted from Jan. 21-28 among 1,003 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The survey included subsamples of 869 registered voters and 577 likely voters, with margins of error of plus or minus 3.6 and 4.4 percentage points, respectively.
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