10
Loading video...
By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown faced widespread public opposition at the ballot box, but that anger did not translate into immigration becoming the defining issue of the election.
More than half of voters said the administration’s enforcement actions had gone too far, and six in 10 disapproved of ICE’s performance. Yet just 14 percent named immigration as the country’s most important issue, far behind the economy and concerns about democracy, according to exit polls. The economy came first, at 39 percent, followed by the state of democracy at 32 percent. Healthcare, foreign policy, and crime ranked further behind.
The exit poll found 57 percent believed the administration’s immigration enforcement had gone too far, while 20 percent said it had not gone far enough and 22 percent considered it about right. Sixty percent disapproved of the way ICE was handling its job, compared with 40 percent who approved.
Read More on News
The results leave ICE facing a new Democratic-controlled Congress, and questions about whether public anger will translate into political consequences.
For much of Trump’s second term, immigration enforcement was one of the defining features of his presidency. Footage of masked federal agents carrying out raids, arrests and deportations became a regular part of the national conversation. The deaths of people during immigration enforcement operations, protests against ICE and a growing backlash over the administration’s mass deportation plans put the agency under intense scrutiny.
Views on enforcement also tracked closely with voting behavior. Among those who said the administration had gone too far, 89 percent backed Democratic candidates. Among voters who wanted tougher enforcement, 91 percent voted Republican.
Immigration may not have been the issue voters most wanted politicians to address, but it still weighed heavily on their decisions. Asked how important immigration enforcement policies were to their congressional vote, 36 percent called them crucial, and another 36 percent said they were a major factor.
Immigration enforcement mattered to many voters, but it was not the issue that dominated the wider electorate.
...
The Issues That Crowded Out Immigration
At least nine people have been killed in shootings involving immigration agents during Trump’s second term, as of November 3, 2026, according to The Trace. Its investigation identified 32 incidents in which agents shot at people, leaving a further 15 injured, and warned that the figures are likely an undercount because shootings are not always publicly reported.
The election was dominated by the economy and concerns about democracy. Nearly four in 10 voters named the economy as the country’s most important issue, compared with nearly a third who chose democracy. Three-quarters said the economy was in poor or not very good condition.
Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, flipping at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts in a major rebuke to Trump and the Republicans.
Immigration enforcement also divided voters along party lines. Among those who said it was crucial to their vote, 58 percent backed the Republican congressional candidate and 41 percent the Democrat. Among those who said it was a minor factor or not a factor, Democrats led by a wide margin.
Despite widespread disapproval of ICE, Republicans retained a narrow advantage on immigration overall. Asked which party was better able to handle the issue, 44 percent chose the Republicans and 41 percent the Democrats, while 15 percent said neither. The figures suggest that opposition to the administration’s enforcement tactics did not necessarily translate into greater confidence in Democrats on immigration.
Immigration was also competing with other concerns that mattered to even more voters. Some 73 percent said immigration enforcement was a crucial or major factor in their congressional vote, compared with 89 percent who said the same of the cost of living and 90 percent for government corruption.
A Warning From Latino Voters
The results among Latino voters offer another measure of the political risks facing Republicans as the administration continues its immigration crackdown.
Republicans had made gains with Hispanic voters in the 2024 presidential election, securing 46 percent of the vote share, helping Trump build a broader coalition.
The Associated Press Voter Poll, a survey of about 80,000 voters, found that roughly six in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democratic candidates in their local House races. Around a third supported Republicans, compared with roughly four in 10 who voted for Trump two years ago.
The shift was particularly significant in Texas, where Democrats won the governor’s race and a Senate seat, ending decades of Republican dominance in statewide elections.
Economic concerns also shaped Latino voters’ choices.
Seventy percent of Hispanic registered voters believed the administration’s policies had been harmful to Hispanic people, according to a study by the nonpartisan think tank Pew Research Center. Fifty-five percent of Latino voters also said they viewed their congressional vote as a vote against Trump in the same study.
The results suggest Republicans cannot take their recent gains among Hispanic voters for granted, particularly as the administration continues to pursue its enforcement agenda.
New Congress Means New Scrutiny
The more immediate consequence for ICE may come from the change in control of Congress.
Democrats will take control of the House and Senate in January, giving them greater power to investigate the administration, hold hearings, and scrutinize agencies including ICE and Customs and Border Protection, two arms that fall under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security.
Congress cannot directly control ICE’s day-to-day operations, and the president retains broad authority over immigration enforcement. But lawmakers can use oversight and the budget process to demand information, investigate agency practices, and pressure the administration to impose additional guardrails.
The election could also have consequences at the state level. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s major upset victory over Republican Greg Abbott ends more than three decades of GOP control of the governor’s office. Abbott had been a prominent ally of the administration’s hardline crackdown and deployed state resources to support enforcement efforts.
Three other Republican-held governorships flipped to Democrats, although the incoming governors have taken differing positions on cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Unpopular, But Not Necessarily Electorally Decisive
The midterms leave ICE facing widespread public disapproval but little evidence that immigration enforcement was the decisive issue for most voters. The agency may have avoided becoming the defining issue of the election, but Democratic control of Congress could now turn that opposition into sustained investigations and scrutiny.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Emma Lee-Sang
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines