Trump gets 52% approval on border security, 45% on immigration in new Fox poll

While more than half of voters approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing on border security, a new Fox News poll finds a majority disapprove of how Trump is handling immigration, and a growing number see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics as “too aggressive” — including a significant portion of the president’s coalition.

There is also disagreement about how well ICE carries out its core mission. Twenty-nine percent of voters say ICE’s enforcement actions “almost always” reflect Trump’s promise to focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records; 25 percent think it happens “most of the time,” 19 percent say “sometimes,” and 27 percent say “not very often.” More Republicans (45%) than Democrats (17%) and independents (15%) think ICE “almost always” keeps its word.

There are also reactions against the institution’s methods. Fifty-nine percent of voters call ICE “too aggressive,” a 10-point increase since July 2025. This sentiment is increasingly defined by a shift in the center: The perception that ICE is too aggressive increased by 14 points among Whites without a college degree, by 19 points among moderates, and by 22 points among independents. A similar shift is seen among right-leaning groups, including Trump voters (+9 more aggressive), Republican women (+14), and non-MAGA Republicans (+23).

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When asked to express concerns, those who say ICE is too aggressive are more likely to point to tactics rather than targets: 44% say they “use too much force,” while 23% say the agency “targets the wrong people.” The other 29% volunteers are both.

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The survey was conducted from Friday to Monday (January 23-26); Federal agents opened fire and killed Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Border security remains Trump’s top issue and the only issue on which he currently has a net positive job rating: 52% of voters approve. That’s a 1-point increase from December’s 51% approval rating, but down from September’s record high approval rating of 57%. About 17 percent of Democrats approve of Trump on border security, compared to 9 percent on immigration. Among Republicans, this rate is 89% and 85%, respectively.

While 45 percent of voters approve of the president’s performance on immigration, 55 percent disapprove. This situation has not changed since last month. The highest immigration approval was 48% in July 2025. In trends dating back to the beginning of Trump’s first term, immigration disapproval has fallen below 50% only once, and that was at 48% in April 2025.

“This poll shows something we’ve noticed for a long time, which is that border security and immigration are generally different issues,” said Daron Shaw, a Republican pollster who conducts the Fox News Poll with his Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. “When it comes to border security, Republicans in general and the President in particular are seen as influential. But public sentiment is more complicated when it comes to dealing with immigrants in the United States illegally.”

Currently, 44 percent approve of Trump’s overall job performance, while 56 percent disapprove; This is the same points Trump received in December.

Support for abolishing ICE has doubled since 2018, rising from 18% to 36%. Most of the increase comes from White voters (+20 points), women (+21), independents (+22), and Democrats (+34). While the proportion of those opposed to closing the agency remained constant at 42%, the proportion of those who said they were undecided decreased from 39% to 22%.

Opinion is divided on whether local governments should cooperate with ICE: 49% support cooperation, 50% oppose. Support for cooperation among Republicans (85%) is about the same as opposition among Democrats (83%). Independents oppose cooperation by a 30-point margin (34% favorable, 64% opposed).

This Fox News study, conducted Jan. 23-26, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), included interviews with a sample of 1,005 registered voters randomly selected from the national voter file. Participants spoke to live interviewers from landlines (106) and mobile phones (645) or completed the survey online after receiving a message (254). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error is higher for results between subgroups. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can also affect the results. Weights are often applied to variables such as age, race, education, and district to ensure that demographic characteristics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.