Arrest and Detention of Undocumented Immigrants

Last updated: February 2026.

Key Point Summary

Americans in 2025 were asked about the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants in several different ways. Some questions asked the public for their opinions about places in which such arrests could or should take place. Other questions asked for opinions on use of various military and police entities for these types of arrests.

The responses indicate a complex blend of attitudes shaped by location, enforcement agency, and circumstance.

  • Americans approve of the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants in some settings (home, protest rallies) and disapprove of arrest and detention in others (places of worship, hospitals, schools).
  • Americans approve of churches or religious organizations not helping in arrest and detention activities.
  • Americans have mixed feelings about the use of local or state police to assist federal authorities in arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants, attitudes which vary based on precise question wording.
  • Data obtained in early 2026 show widespread public disapproval of ICE tactics, approval of more ICE accountability measures, and a divided public on the issue of decreasing ICE funding versus keeping it the same or increasing it.

Bottom Line: While many Americans support the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants in certain situations, majorities oppose other methods or contexts of arrest.

Availability of Data and Confidence in Conclusions

This assessment is based on 62 questions from 22 nationally representative surveys conducted between 2025 and 2026, with a total sample size of 58,992. The amount of available evidence is substantial, but consistency appears limited. The questions on the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants cover different scenarios—such as arrests in workplaces, churches, schools, homes, and other contexts—and public opinion appears to vary depending on the type of enforcement action being considered. Because of the variation in questions asked, the evidence is more fragmented. By comparison, our 2022-2024 polling data on the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants consists of 1 question from 1 nationally representative survey, with a total sample size of 5,140.

Overall Confidence: FAIR.

Policy Implications

Americans differentiate sharply between types of enforcement action that can be taken against undocumented immigrants, not rejecting immigration control outright but objecting to perceived overreach. Policymakers may find public backing for:

  • Targeted arrests of undocumented immigrants in specific settings.
  • Collaborative enforcement between local and federal authorities when framed as necessary and lawful.

However, there is clear resistance to arrests in sensitive locations (churches, schools, hospitals). And, more generally, efforts to expand detention operations or authorize local police to assist in enforcement are likely to face political risk and a clear need for transparent explanations and justifications.

Detailed Discussion

Arrest and Detention Locations

Public responses to questions about where undocumented immigrants may be arrested show clear distinctions:

  • General Support
    • A majority (63% of national adults in a March 2025 survey) said it is appropriate to arrest undocumented immigrants at home [1].
    • Two-thirds (66% of national adults in a March 2025 survey) said it is appropriate to arrest undocumented immigrants at protest rallies [1].
  • More Muted Support
    • American public opinion is still positive but somewhat more divided on arrests at traffic stops, with 56% of national adults in a March 2025 survey saying law enforcement officers should be allowed to check the immigration status of people they encounter during day-to-day activities such as traffic stops, while 43% said this should not be allowed [1].
    • Opinions about arrests in workplaces were similar, with 54% of national adults in a March 2025 survey saying this should be allowed and 44% saying it should not be allowed [1].
  • General Opposition
    • Clear majorities of Americans opposed arrests in houses of worship (65% of national adults in a March 2025 survey said this should not be allowed), in hospitals (61% of national adults in a March 2025 survey said this should not be allowed), and in schools (63% of national adults in a March 2025 survey said this should not be allowed), indicating strong moral boundaries around such spaces [1].
    • A majority (56% of American adults in a June 2025 survey) said it was acceptable for churches or religious organizations to decline cooperation with authorities arresting undocumented immigrants, while 42% said this was unacceptable [2].

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

In early 2026, numerous polls were conducted in the wake of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Minneapolis, including fatal shooting incidents. Public opinion showed clear patterns:

  • General disapproval of ICE performance and tactics: In January 2026 surveys, 63% of registered voters disapproved of how ICE is handling its job, and 65% of national adults said ICE actions in enforcing immigration laws had gone too far. Additionally, 61% of registered voters said ICE tactics had gone too far, while only 11% said they had not gone far enough [3, 4].
  • Safety concerns and deployment rationale: A majority (62% of national adults in a January 2026 survey) said ICE actions were making Americans less safe rather than safer [12]. In a February 2026 survey, 56% of registered voters said the Trump administration deployed ICE agents in Minneapolis more for political reasons than for legitimate law enforcement purposes [5].
  • Support for accountability measures: Following Minneapolis shooting incidents, 80% of registered voters in a February 2026 survey said there should be an independent investigation, and 92% said ICE agents should be required to wear body cameras. A majority (61% of registered voters in a February 2026 survey) said ICE agents should not be permitted to wear masks or other face coverings [5].
  • Funding preferences: When asked about ICE funding in a February 2026 survey, Americans were divided: 51% of registered voters said the federal government should provide less funding for ICE, 30% said keep funding at current levels, and 14% said provide more funding [5].

Enforcement Entities

When asked in 2025 surveys about President Trump's potential use of military or law enforcement units in immigration enforcement, the public shows mixed responses:

  • Using the military and National Guard in response to protests drew divided opinions.
    • In response to a June 2025 survey, 47% of registered voters said Trump's mobilization of the National Guard and U.S. military in response to protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles was appropriate, while 52% said it was inappropriate [6].
    • In a July 2025 survey, 59% of national adults opposed Trump using National Guard troops in response to immigration protests even if a state's governor doesn't support the use of those troops, while 41% supported this [7].
    • In a September 2025 survey, 44% of national adults said using the U.S. military and National Guard to help find and deport people in the country illegally was acceptable, while 49% said it was unacceptable [8].
  • Using ICE to conduct workplace raids meets majority opposition.
    • In a June 2025 survey, 54% of American adults disapproved of ICE conducting more raids on workplaces where people in the U.S. illegally may be working (33% strongly disapproved, 21% somewhat disapproved), while 45% approved (22% strongly approved, 23% somewhat approved) [2].
  • Using local and state police to aid federal authorities in arresting undocumented immigrants produced divided reactions.
    • In a June 2025 survey, 50% of American adults approved of using state and local law enforcement to help with federal efforts to deport people in the U.S. illegally (25% strongly approved, 25% somewhat approved), while 49% disapproved (29% strongly disapproved, 20% somewhat disapproved) [2].

Trends Over Time (2025–2026)

Available data span February 2025 through January 2026, with no comparable baseline from prior years, precluding conclusions about long-term directional change.

Early 2025: Location-based attitudes established. A February 2025 survey established the baseline pattern that defined public opinion throughout the period: support for enforcement in some contexts, opposition in others. Majorities approved of arrests at home (63%) and at protest rallies (66%), were divided on workplaces (54% allowed) and traffic stops (56% allowed), and clearly opposed arrests in places of worship (65%), hospitals (61%), and schools (63%) [1].

Mid-2025: Divided opinions on enforcement methods. By June and July, polling turned to specific enforcement approaches and found consistent division. National adults were essentially split on using state and local law enforcement to assist federal deportation efforts (50% approve, 49% disapprove), and registered voters were similarly divided on requiring local governments to cooperate with ICE [2, 6]. Majority opposition did emerge in two areas: ICE workplace raids (54% disapprove) and arresting long-term residents with no criminal record (59% oppose), suggesting that the public draws a clearer line when enforcement targets sympathetic subpopulations or familiar community institutions [2, 7].

Late 2025: Persistent division on military involvement. A September survey found the public nearly evenly split on using the U.S. military and National Guard to find and deport undocumented immigrants (44% acceptable, 49% unacceptable) — consistent with the pattern of divided opinion on military involvement seen in July [8].

Early 2026: ICE-specific disapproval consolidates following Minneapolis. The most pronounced shift came in January and February 2026, following escalating ICE enforcement activity and fatal shootings in Minneapolis. Disapproval of ICE's performance and tactics registered above 60%; 62% said ICE was making Americans less safe, and 51% favored reducing ICE funding [3, 4, 5]. Near-unanimous majorities supported accountability measures: 92% favored requiring body cameras and 61% opposed allowing agents to wear masks [5]. Through mid-2025, opposition had been largely contextual; by early 2026, broad institutional disapproval of ICE had become the dominant signal. Whether this reflects a durable shift or a response to a specific precipitating event cannot be determined from the available data.

Bottom Line: Americans support arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants under certain conditions but oppose intrusive or indiscriminate arrests. Public tolerance hinges on perceived fairness, location, and humanitarian boundaries. Americans are divided on the use of military and local police to aid in arrests of undocumented immigrants but generally opposed to the use of ICE for workplace raids, and in favor of more accountability for ICE actions.

Citations

  1. Pew Research Center/SSRS. (2025). 42% of U.S. adults expect deportations to lead to higher food prices in their area. Fielded 2/24/25-3/2/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  2. Pew Research Center. (2025). 2025 Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel Wave 172 Politics Survey. Fielded 6/2/25-6/8/25.
  3. New York Times/Siena College. (2026). New York Times/Siena National Poll of Registered Voters. Fielded 1/12/26-1/17/26.
  4. NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll. (2026). The Actions of ICE, February 2026. Fielded 1/27/26-1/30/26.
  5. Quinnipiac University. (2026). Quinnipiac University National Poll. Fielded 1/29/26-2/2/26.
  6. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox June 2025 Topline - June 19 Release. Fielded 6/13/25-6/16/25.
  7. CNN/SSRS. (2025). Americans largely oppose Trump's ramp-up of deportations. Fielded 7/10/25-7/13/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  8. Associated Press/NORC at the University of Chicago. (2025). About half of the public believe the level of legal immigration to the U.S. should remain the same. Fielded 9/11/25-9/15/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.

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