Most voters support more transparency in ICE operations; oppose deportation efforts

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(The Center Square) – A slight majority of Americans are opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations to locate and deport illegal aliens, while a majority support more transparency in immigration enforcement, according to The Center Square’s Voters’ Voice poll.

Fifty-two percent of Americans oppose ICE operations to deport illegal immigrants, while 45% support efforts. An overwhelming 83% of Democrats oppose immigration enforcement measures. In contrast, 77% of Republicans support the operations.

According to the poll, independents weighed heavily against the enforcement measure at 60%, while nearly half of independents, 34%, are in favor of deportation efforts.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights between March 2-5, 2026. The poll sample included 2,659 respondents, comprised of 952 Republicans, 934 Democrats, and 773 Independents, of which 330 are True Independents, which Noble Predictive refers to as independents who, when asked if they leaned toward one of the major parties, chose neither. It is among the most comprehensive tracking polls in the country.

Pollster Mike Noble told The Center Square that "the data is a classic 'policy vs. practice' split. The underlying idea of enforcing immigration law — including deportations — still has real support. But when enforcement becomes highly visible and especially when it turns chaotic or violent, that’s where public opinion starts to peel away."

President Donald Trump ran and won the 2024 presidential election in part on his immigration policies after four years of open borders and increased border-related crime under former President Joe Biden. But often violent protests against ICE activity in Minneapolis and across the country turned some Americans who previously supported Trump against the enforcement.

"The incidents in Minneapolis are a good example of that dynamic," Noble said. "When you have widely covered events involving U.S. citizens being killed during enforcement operations, it introduces a level of perceived risk and loss of control that makes some voters uncomfortable – particularly independents. 

"So it’s less about people abandoning the goal, and more about questioning how it’s being carried out."

Noble said there are a couple of other factors at play, including "intensity vs. tolerance: Voters may support enforcement in theory, but not at a level that disrupts communities or feels heavy-handed."

Media amplification of the protests and partisan anchoring – "Republicans tend to stay supportive, while Democrats and independents are more reactive to how enforcement looks in practice," Noble said – are also factors.

According to the same polling, an overwhelming number of Americans think ICE agents should be required to wear body cameras, with 84% supporting more transparency, while only 9% oppose forcing immigration officials to wear the cameras. 

Of that number, 93% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans support the cameras, while 82% of independents do as well. Trump has said he also supports ICE agents wearing body cameras.

"This is about as close to a 'no-brainer' as you’ll find in today’s environment. We’ve reached a point where transparency is expected, not debated," Noble said. "Voters have been conditioned by years of local policing reforms to see body cams as basic accountability infrastructure — not a reform, but a requirement. When you apply that same expectation to federal agents operating in local communities, the support naturally follows."

Regarding transparency, voters were also asked whether they think ICE agents should be allowed to wear face coverings while carrying out official business. Fifty-four percent oppose ICE agents masking during operations, while 37% support masking their identities. Fifty-nine percent of independents oppose it, and 30% support it.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats oppose masking, while 61% of Republicans support it. Fifty-nine percent of independents oppose masking, while only 30% support it.

ICE has said the face coverings are necessary because agents and their families have been doxed by protesters.

Funding for ICE has taken centerstage in the current partial government shutdown, with Democrats demanding major ICE reforms, including unmasking immigration officials; requiring judicial warrants; banning profiling; prohibiting arrests at churches, courts, daycares, hospitals, polling places and schools; allowing states to investigate Department of Homeland Security over suspected crimes by agents and sue the department over detention center conditions; and providing immigration detainees immediate access to attorneys, while allowing states to sue DHS for any suspected violations.

As the government shutdown has now extended for over a month, neither Democrats nor Republicans appear close to reaching an agreement to fund DHS, which has snarled airport traffic across the country.

The only issue both parties appear to agree on is the use of bodycams, with the White House expressing support for immigration officials equipped with them.

The poll has a margin of error of +/-1.9%.