Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s political standing appears to be weakening, according to a new survey that shows her unfavorability rising notably as public sentiment around immigration enforcement shifts.
Newsweek reached out to Noem for comment via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press email.
A spokesperson told Newsweek last week that the “American people, the law, and common sense are on our side,” adding: “Secretary Noem doesn’t check with polls to decide whether or not she is going to enforce the law.”
Why It Matters
Noem oversees U.S. immigration enforcement, an issue that has faced intensified scrutiny after two fatal shootings in the Minneapolis area involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents. The deaths—and Noem’s public responses—have sparked calls for her resignation and raised the political stakes surrounding her job performance ratings.
Kristi Noem attends a news conference at Miami International Airport on January 31, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
What To Know
A new Harvard CAPS/Harris survey of 2,000 registered voters conducted January 28-29 points to a noticeable shift in Noem’s favorability.
In the Harvard CAPS/Harris December 2-4, 2025 poll of 2,204 registered voters, Noem registered 25 percent favorable and 30 percent unfavorable, for a -5-point gap.
In January, the gap widened: 24 percent favorable and 37 percent unfavorable—an increase in disapproval that pushed her further underwater than many prominent Republicans in the same dataset. That leaves her at a -13-point gap.
Both the January and December polls reported a margin of sampling error of 2 percentage points.
Placed alongside other national political figures, Noem’s change stands out.
Over the same period, “unfavorable” ratings moved only slightly for figures such as President Donald Trump (–1), Marco Rubio (–2), J.D. Vance (–2), Gavin Newsom (0), Joe Biden (1), Pete Hegseth (-1), Pam Bondi (-1), Mike Johnson (0), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (+1). Noem’s seven-point jump in disapproval was among the sharper movements measured.
The Harvard CAPS/Harris polling also found that only 44 percent of respondents approved of ICE, placing the agency among the least popular institutions tested in the January survey.
Majorities said they were concerned the agencies have “gone too far,” used excessive force in high-profile incidents, or violated civil liberties.
Public attention intensified after the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer and the January 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in the Minneapolis area—incidents that fueled demonstrations and increased pressure on Noem.
After the second shooting, Noem said during a press conference: “Violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and to perpetuate violence. That is the definition of domestic terrorism.”
Polling analyst Harry Enten, who hosts The Enten Scale on the CNN app, described the fallout as significant for Trump. Citing national surveys from Fox News, Quinnipiac, and The New York Times/Siena, Enten said ICE’s net approval was -17 in June 2025 after operations in Los Angeles and fell to -27 after the Minneapolis incidents.
He also pointed to Gallup data showing DHS’ job rating—measured by the share calling its performance excellent or good—declining from 59 percent in late 2017 to 42 percent in late 2025.
Enten added that Quinnipiac polling showed Noem’s net approval at -11 in July, slipping to -16 by January, and remaining negative in every survey he reviewed.
What People Are Saying
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek last week: “Secretary Noem doesn’t check with polls to decide whether or not she is going to enforce the law. Seventy percent of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S.
“The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after Biden’s open border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
Harry Enten, CNN’s chief data analyst, said: “All the actions in Minneapolis, in Los Angeles, in these major American cities have been very much rejected by the American people. It has been a political disaster for the second Trump administration.”
He added of Noem: “I looked at every single poll that has been conducted on Kristi Noem’s popularity. Every single one, the net approval rating has been negative. ICE is negative. DHS is negative…This has been an absolute political disaster for the president of the United States. It’s not much of a surprise to me if he wants to push Noem to the side.”
When asked whether Noem would step down after the January 24 shooting, Trump said: “I think she’s done a very good job. I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure.”
What Happens Next
The polling trend does not, by itself, predict where Noem’s numbers will go from here. But it does suggest she enters the next measurement period with a wider approval-disapproval gap than most peers—and with immigration enforcement remaining a central political flashpoint.
