CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said this week that public opinion has shifted sharply against ICE following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by one of its agents. He warned that the agency’s reputation has dropped significantly from where it was during President Donald Trump’s first term.
“Americans do not like ICE right now,” Enten mentioned on CNN, citing a new CNN/SSRS poll. He argued this change is politically harmful for Trump as the administration increases immigration enforcement efforts.
Enten noted ICE’s net approval rating has fallen to minus 17, down from about neutral during Trump’s first term. He pointed out that majorities think enforcement actions make cities less safe.
This polling and Enten’s comments come after the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis last week. This incident has led to protests and a growing political debate over the administration’s tactics. CNN’s poll found that 56% of adults described the shooting as an inappropriate use of force, while 26% viewed it as appropriate.
In the same survey, 51% said ICE enforcement actions make U.S. cities less safe. Only 31% felt they make cities safer, while 18% believed there is little effect. Enten highlighted the 51% figure on air and said these numbers show ICE and the White House are “losing this argument” with the public.
Enten also pointed out a bigger decline in Trump’s approval on immigration, indicating the president has dropped from slightly positive earlier in his term to a net negative rating on the issue in CNN polling. He linked this change partly to an increasing number of Americans who think the administration has “gone too far” in deporting undocumented immigrants, a sentiment now held by 52%.
“ICE and Trump are losing the argument when it comes to the American people. They don’t like this immigration enforcement.” CNN data analyst Harry Enten reveals the devastating approval ratings for ICE and Trump. pic.twitter.com/VicVhKtA5C
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 15, 2026
This response isn’t limited to Democrats or immigration activists, as Joe Rogan, who interviewed Trump during the 2024 campaign and appeals to younger audiences, criticized the aggressive enforcement style. He compared the tone of some operations to tactics of a police state. “You don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of whom turn out to be U.S. citizens who just don’t have their papers on them,” Rogan said on his show. “Are we really going to be the Gestapo? Where’s your papers? Is that what we’ve come to?”
On CNN, Enten stated that the political fallout is already apparent in Trump’s numbers. He claimed that immigration, which used to be a strength for the president, is now costing him support instead of gaining it.
The CNN/SSRS poll also revealed that Americans are more worried, by a 47% to 37% margin, about crackdowns on people protesting deportations than they are about protests becoming chaotic. This reflects how images and videos of enforcement actions have influenced public opinion.
Republicans and Democrats differ on how to label the Minneapolis shooting and the overall enforcement push. However, the CNN poll found that independents also tend to view the incident as inappropriate and a sign of larger issues with ICE’s operations.
