Americans’ dislike for ICE hits new low — China, Hamas and Russia are hated more
Only China, Russia, and Hamas rank lower in public favorability than the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a new Harvard/Harris poll released last week. The survey of 2,000 registered voters was conducted January 28–29 — days after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
In the poll, just 34% of respondents view ICE favorably, while 50% see the agency unfavorably. That places ICE well below most other federal institutions tested. For comparison: the Department of Homeland Security scored 43% favorability, the Department of Justice 45%, the FBI 50%, local police 60%, and the U.S. military topped the list at 72%.
ICE’s rating also trails behind several private companies and international organizations. For example, Facebook drew a 57% favorable rating, Tesla 38%, and NATO 49%. Even Israel’s favorability (39%) and the Supreme Court’s (45%) exceeded ICE’s score in the same poll.
Only three entities tested came in below ICE: China and the Palestinian Authority each had about 18% favorability, Russia registered roughly 13%, and Hamas was lowest at approximately 10%.
The poll results come amid increased public scrutiny of immigration enforcement, particularly following the January 24 shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by federal Border Patrol agents — an incident that has sparked protests and calls for investigations into federal operations in the city.
In response to the unrest, President Donald Trump’s administration announced a partial withdrawal of about 700 ICE and Border Patrol officers from Minneapolis, though federal agents remain deployed under the broader immigration enforcement effort known as “Operation Metro Surge.”
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