To be sure, immigration (whether enforcement or otherwise) is not often the number one issue for voters. In the 2025 elections, it was one of the top-five concerns, but it was outranked by the economy, cost of living and/or health care. Still, the issue is only growing in its visibility and salience.

Voters still broadly favor securing the southern border, and they give President Trump credit for that. But 6 in 10 now disapprove of the president’s handling of immigration.

President Trump is facing signs that his immigration crackdown is losing popularity with American voters as fallout grows from the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer this month.

Republicans feel confident that their intertwined messages on crime and immigration will resonate with voters in the midterms. They frequently highlight violent criminals detained or deported, downplaying examples of nonviolent migrants who have been swept up.

EDITORIAL. After a second person was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Donald Trump appears intent on further inflaming the situation by threatening to deploy the military there.