ICE approval ticks up from January low

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's favorability improved to minus 8 points in August, up from minus 16 in January, according to Harvard CAPS/Harris polling of 2,100 registered voters.

January deaths sparked the biggest backlash

The January low followed fatal shootings by ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent on January 7, and Alex Pretti was shot by a Border Patrol agent later that month.

Experts say the swings are mostly noise

Alexander Kustov at Notre Dame notes the margin of error for net favorability is plus or minus 4 points, not 2. The series bouncing between minus 6 and minus 11 is basically flat, he said.

“Most of this movement may just be a random survey error.”

Visibility of enforcement operations declined

Julia Gelatt at the Migration Policy Institute said the trend toward less negative views is likely because ICE arrests have been less visible since January and there have been fewer national reports of violent tactics.

ICE far less popular than other agencies

Even with improvement, ICE's minus 8 rating trails the Department of Homeland Security at plus 13, the FBI at plus 23, and local police at plus 36.

ICE ranks below Israel and the EU

ICE remained slightly more unpopular than Israel at plus 2 and the European Union at plus 10, but ranked ahead of the MAGA movement at minus 10 and socialism at minus 21.

Arrests hit record levels under Trump

Despite ICE's improved favorability, immigration arrests surged to record levels, with federal agents making almost 51,000 arrests in August alone, according to data reviewed by Reuters.

Other surveys show sustained skepticism

An Economist/YouGov poll in late January found 55 percent of Americans had very little confidence in ICE. A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll in February found six in 10 Americans disapproved of ICE's work.