Following a fatal shooting involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week,new national polls reveal widespread disapproval of the agency’s actions and growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The surveys, including data from CNN, Quinnipiac University, and yahoo news-YouGov, indicate a majority of Americans view the agent’s use of force as inappropriate, a sentiment that cuts across party lines, though Democrats are substantially more critical. Beyond the immediate incident,the polls suggest a broader unease with ICE tactics and a potential shift in public opinion regarding the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
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Public opinion is largely against the use of force by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week, according to a series of recent polls. The incident quickly sparked debate on social media and among political figures.
New surveys released within the last 24 hours, including a CNN poll, offer a clearer picture of how Americans view the shooting, beyond those who immediately voiced opinions online.
The data reveals a significant disapproval of the agent’s actions.
Here are key findings from the recent polling:
A majority of Americans believe the ICE agent’s use of force was inappropriate.
The CNN poll found that 56% of U.S. adults said the agent’s use of force was “inappropriate,” compared to just 26% who said it was “appropriate.”
Similar results were found in surveys conducted by Quinnipiac University and Yahoo News-YouGov, both released Tuesday. Quinnipiac found 53% of registered voters believed the shooting was not justified, while Yahoo News-YouGov reported 52% of Americans felt the same.
Across all three polls, opposition to the ICE agent’s actions ranged from 18 to 30 percentage points, indicating a strong consensus among the public.
Independents consistently disapproved of the shooting by at least a two-to-one margin. Democrats were far more likely to object – 87% in the CNN poll – while 61% of Republicans supported the agent’s actions.
The findings suggest that the administration’s handling of the shooting is broadly unpopular. This case highlights growing public scrutiny of ICE’s tactics and enforcement practices.
The administration not only defended the actions of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, but also initially characterized Good’s actions as “domestic terrorism,” claiming she intentionally attacked the agent with her vehicle.
However, public opinion sharply diverges from this assessment.
The Yahoo News-YouGov poll showed only 24% of Americans believed Good was engaged in domestic terrorism. Even among Republicans, just 52% agreed with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s characterization.
Some administration officials have occasionally walked back Noem’s claim, suggesting Good may not have deliberately attacked the agent. Vice President J.D. Vance admitted last week, “Look, I don’t know what’s in a person’s heart or mind.”
The polls also indicate a high level of public attention to the incident.
The Yahoo poll found that 63% of Americans said they had heard “a lot” about the situation, while the Quinnipiac survey showed 82% of voters had seen video of the shooting.
These figures are particularly notable given that Americans often pay limited attention to political news.
For example, even after the U.S. ousted a foreign leader (Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela) earlier this month, only 42% of those surveyed by Reuters-Ipsos said they had heard “a lot” about the event.
Marquette University Law School regularly tracked attention to news events throughout 2025, finding that only a handful received this level of public engagement.
The potential political fallout for the administration is significant. As previously reported, the incident risks becoming a focal point in the debate over ICE and President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.
Trump’s deportation policies have consistently polled poorly, but have not yet triggered widespread protests or legislative action.
In recent days, prominent figures like Joe Rogan have begun to more forcefully criticize ICE raids. Rogan, who supported Trump in 2024, compared ICE’s actions to those of the “Gestapo.”
The new polls show that overall ICE numbers haven’t shifted dramatically; people disliked how the agency enforced immigration laws before the Minneapolis shooting (57%-39% in a July Quinnipiac poll), and still feel the same way today (57%-40%).
However, the data also suggests the incident could add urgency to pre-existing public concerns about Trump’s deportations.
The CNN poll followed up with those who called the shooting “inappropriate,” asking whether they believed it was an isolated incident or “reflects larger problems with how ICE operates.”
Nine in ten of those critical of the incident chose the latter. Overall, 51% of Americans said not only were the agent’s actions wrong in this situation, but attributed them to more systemic problems within the agency.
A couple of results from the Yahoo poll were also striking:
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Americans said by a 51% to 31% margin that ICE law enforcement actions are making cities “less safe” rather than “more safe,” according to the CNN poll.
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They also said by a 54% to 34% margin that ICE raids in major U.S. cities are “doing more harm than good,” according to the Yahoo poll.
These two polls show that people believe these raids are actually counterproductive, by 20-point margins.
We’ve already seen evidence that Americans believe Trump has overreached with his deportations and dislike his administration’s tactics.
A growing movement within the Democratic Party is considering potentially pursuing impeachment proceedings against Noem.
The polls suggest her political standing is declining.
Americans disapprove of Noem by a 61% to 38% margin in the CNN poll, and registered voters disapprove by a 52% to 36% margin in the Quinnipiac survey.
The latter suggests Noem has lost ground in recent months. A Quinnipiac poll in July showed her down 11 points (50%-39%), compared to her current 16-point deficit.
