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WASHINGTON (AP) — About 6 in 10 American adults say President Donald Trump has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents to U.S. cities, according to a new AP-NORC poll that suggests political independents are increasingly uncomfortable with his methods.

Border Czar Tom Homan is expected to speak at 9 a.m. EST. Watch the live stream in our video player above.

Opinions about Trump’s handling of immigration — which have declined over the course of his first year — have remained steady over the past month, with about 4 in 10 saying they approve of the president’s approach. But the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also found that the GOP’s lead on Trump’s signature policy issue has shrunk since October.

About 3 in 10 American adults trust Republicans to do a better job on immigration, while a similar percentage say the same about Democrats. An additional 3 in 10 think either party would do a better job of handling the issue, and about 1 in 10 say both parties would handle it equally well.

The Republican president’s core supporters still overwhelmingly support Trump’s immigration tactics. But there are signs that more independents believe he has gone too far.

“I’m happy that not only are immigrants streaming across the border, but what he’s doing now in our cities, pitting the military against our people, these are Gestapo tactics,” said Brenda Shaw, a 65-year-old human resources manager from South Haven, Michigan. “They are shooting American citizens in the face and back.”

The new poll comes as the nation watches the humanitarian impact of Trump’s crackdown in Minneapolis, where thousands of masked, heavily armed agents have descended on the city to find and remove immigrants in the country illegally.

There have also been several violent clashes with protesters, including the killing of US citizens by federal agents in recent weeks. The poll found that about 6 in 10 Americans believe Trump has “gone too far” when using federal law enforcement at public protests in American cities.

Republicans stand behind Trump on immigration

And while about 9 in 10 Democrats and about 7 in 10 independents say Trump has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents to U.S. cities and using federal law enforcement at public protests, only about a quarter of Republicans agree.

According to the new poll, about half of Republicans say Trump’s actions were “right,” while about a quarter of Republicans say he did not go far enough. Their support for the president has not waned despite the chaos in Minneapolis.

Tevis Crawford, a 20-year-old student from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said he’s happy with Trump’s leadership on immigration, though he wishes the president would find a way to deport more immigrants who are in the country illegally.

“Frankly, I don’t think the deportations were enough. I think they were too lenient,” he said of Trump’s crackdown. “If you cross into our country illegally, it’s not right. You’re taking things from people who were born here.”

Crawford added that Trump “should be focusing on violent criminals, but finding violent criminals may be more difficult.”

Independents largely disapprove of the current approach to immigration enforcement

Despite their strong support for Trump, Republicans have become increasingly alone in supporting Trump in his immigration enforcement tactics.

Trump’s approval of immigration appears to have declined among independents since last spring, from 37% in March 2025 to 23% in the new poll. There is greater variation in polling for small groups, such as independents, which creates more uncertainty about the size of the changes. About 6 in 10 independents now say Trump has “gone too far” in deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, a clear increase from 46% in an AP-NORC poll in April.

Most adults in the United States, including independents, have a negative view of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as ICE. Overall, the AP-NORC poll found that only about 3 in 10 American adults have a favorable view of the agency.

There is a large partisan gap, with independents closer to Democrats than Republicans. Only about 1 in 10 Democrats and about 2 in 10 independents have a favorable view of ICE, compared with about 7 in 10 Republicans.

“Closing the border is fine,” said independent Rick Kennett, a 60-year-old former Marine from Crawfordsville, Indiana. “But what is Trump doing with ICE and Homeland Security? You don’t get people out of cars. You don’t shoot people.”

“I spent eight years in the Army. This is not what I signed up for,” he said. “This is not what we are supposed to do. This is not constitutional.”

Trump’s poor numbers are consistent

Trump’s immigration approval has not moved since January despite a month of immigration turmoil.

About 38% of American adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration more broadly, in line with an AP-NORC poll conducted in January after the death of Rene Judd, the first U.S. citizen in Minnesota killed by federal agents.

The president’s public approval rating has declined slightly since the beginning of his second term and remains low.

Overall, 36% of US adults say they approve of the way Trump is handling the presidency. His approval ratings on the economy and foreign policy are similar to his overall approval and are functionally unchanged since January.

Historically, these numbers would push members of the president’s party away from him — especially as the midterm election season approaches. However, Trump’s allies in Washington and state capitals across the country remain overwhelmingly united behind him, reflecting continued strong support from Republicans in opinion polls.

But Trump’s approach on immigration appears to be a particularly sore point for independents. While he appears to have slid with independents on immigration, Trump’s approval on the economy — the other signature issue on which he has recently been criticized for failing to deliver on campaign promises — is similar to where it was last spring.

The narrowing Republicans’ lead on immigration is a warning sign for Trump’s party. In October, 39% of American adults said they had confidence in Republicans to better handle immigration, while 26% said so about Democrats, giving the GOP a 13-point lead. In the new poll, the difference between the two parties was only 4 points.

“What he’s doing with ICE is the worst thing right now. I would say the economy is the second worst thing,” said Shaw, a human resources manager from Michigan. “I’m getting ready to retire and I’m wondering how I’m going to do it.”

“But I’m lucky,” she added. “I don’t have to hide in the basement because my skin is brown.”

The AP-NORC poll of 1,156 adults was conducted Feb. 5-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.