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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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The approval ratings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem are at an all-time low, according to polling data analyzed by CNN.
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek, "Secretary Noem doesn't check with polls to decide whether or not she is going to enforce the law." They added, "The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after Biden's open border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
Essential reading: Is ICE Really Targeting the Worst of the Worst?
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Why It Matters
Deteriorating approval for ICE and DHS could affect the administration's public mandate on immigration and domestic security, complicating policy execution amid heightened scrutiny following high-profile shootings in Minnesota and prior operations in Los Angeles, according to CNN's chief data analyst.
Fatal shootings by federal agents of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have sparked widespread protests, scrutiny and criticism of DHS and its partner agencies.
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What To Know
Public support for ICE and DHS has fallen to new lows during President Donald Trump's second term, while Noem's net approval remains negative across polls, according to the CNN report.
Harry Enten, who hosts The Enten Scale streaming exclusively on the CNN app, tied the declines to controversies surrounding federal enforcement operations, including the fatal shootings in Minneapolis. He described the impact as a "political disaster for Trump."
Trump has sent White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, where he is expected to report directly to the president in an attempt to deal with the escalating fallout from last weekend's killing by a federal law enforcement officer of Pretti, an ICU nurse.
This ratings slump also intersects with internal DHS unease about leadership and operational decisions, potentially influencing congressional oversight, funding debates and the agency's ability to sustain controversial deployments.
Citing national polling data from Fox News, Quinnipiac and The New York Times/Siena, Enten reported that ICE's net approval hovered around even during Trump's first term, fell to -17 in June after operations in Los Angeles and slid further to -27 following Minneapolis.
He said, citing Gallup data, that DHS's job rating—measured by the share describing performance as excellent or good—declined from 59 percent in late 2017 to 42 percent in late 2025.
Enten, citing Quinnipiac data, added that Noem's net approval stood at -11 in July and fell to -16 in January, remaining negative in every poll he reviewed.
Amid the fallout from federal agents' shooting of Pretti, CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson said key questions included whether agents suffered bodily injury, whether the force used was proportionate, and whether agents acted reasonably based on evidence—such as video, ballistics and witness accounts.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reported that multiple DHS officials were furious about the shooting and the administration's rapid public defense, adding that some Border Patrol agents questioned the value and safety of their Minneapolis deployment.
She said: "I've been talking to multiple Homeland Security officials who are, frankly, furious over Saturday's fatal shooting incident in Minneapolis, but also over the Trump administration's public response.
"These are officials who are keenly aware that they are already dealing with reputational harm, and that could have long-lasting consequences in their ongoing immigration enforcement operations, not only now, but in the years to come."
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What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek: "Secretary Noem doesn't check with polls to decide whether or not she is going to enforce the law. Seventy percent of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S.
"The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after Biden's open border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on Sunday: "This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple—dozens of rounds of ammunition … brandishing like that and impeding their work."
Harry Enten, CNN's chief data analyst, reported: "All the actions in Minneapolis, in Los Angeles, in these major American cities have been very much rejected by the American people. It has been a political disaster for the second Trump administration."
He added, regarding Noem: "I looked at every single poll that has been conducted on Kristi Noem's popularity. Every single one, the net approval rating has been negative. ICE is negative. DHS is negative. ... This has been an absolute political disaster for the president of the United States. It's not much of a surprise to me if he wants to push Noem to the side."
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. … Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me."
What Happens Next
Internal DHS reviews of the Minneapolis shooting, including the assessment of videos shared among officials, could shape decisions on future deployments and leadership accountability within the department.
Growing public backlash against ICE, DHS and Noem, as reflected in sliding approval ratings, could lead to mounting pressure in Congress for deeper oversight measures, more aggressive reform bills and renewed calls from Democrats and activists to rein in or even restructure enforcement powers.
Update 1/28/26, 3:10 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from DHS.
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