President Donald Trump’s approval rating on immigration has fallen to its lowest point of his second term, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday.
Why It Matters
The survey signals a possible shift in public sentiment that could influence the political environment heading into the 2026 midterms. Reuters reports that 58% of respondents said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have gone “too far” in their crackdown.
Trump’s weaker standing on immigration comes amid growing backlash after the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot by a Border Patrol officer during a federal operation in Minneapolis. It was the second fatal encounter involving U.S. immigration agents in the city this month.
What to Know
The poll found that 39% of respondents approve of the way Trump is handling immigration, while 53% disapprove. That marks a drop from earlier this month, when his approval rating on immigration was 41%. Reuters noted that in February 2025, Trump’s immigration approval stood at 50%, compared with 41% who disapproved.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,139 U.S. adults nationwide between January 23 and January 25, and it carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Reuters also reported that Trump’s overall approval rating slipped to 38%, tying the lowest point of his second term.
At the same time, the administration is facing added political pressure over immigration policy. The report notes that at least 120 Democrats support a resolution to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem following the Minneapolis killings—an effort expected to face steep odds in a Republican-controlled Congress.
What People Are Saying
Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro, to Newsweek via email Monday night: “It is not surprising since there is more bad news than good news for Trump on the killings in Minnesota and the lying about them. He needs to get the ICE produced violence and seizing of innocent people off the lead in news reports, so he can go back to making the new security of the southern border the dominant story on immigration and let the economy turn itself around. He can take his chances on the fallout from other issues, including the threat posed by the Epstein scandal.”
D. Stephen Voss, political science professor at the University of Kentucky, to Newsweek via email Monday night: “Public opinion is inconsistent and unrealistic. Just as poll respondents will call for lower taxes without being willing to cut spending on any expensive programs, they’ll demand stricter immigration enforcement without being willing to support the sorts of policies needed to give teeth to immigration laws. The Trump Administration is operating as though their victory over Biden/Harris furnished them with a policy mandate to crack down on immigration, and they’re learning the hard way that the public wasn’t actually okay with what that sort of crackdown would entail.”
Trump, on Truth Social Monday: “Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength. I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future. He was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I! We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, on X Saturday: “Today, we lost another Minneapolis neighbor after multiple ICE agents pummeled him and shot him to death. How many more people need to die or get shot before this ends? President Trump, I am calling on you to put the American people and this American city first & get ICE out.”
What Happens Next
The White House said Trump will not back down from deportation efforts targeting “violent criminal illegal aliens,” while also signaling coordination with Minnesota officials following his call with Walz.
