In a shift that shows mounting public dissatisfaction with the administration's core agenda, President Donald Trump's approval rating on immigration has fallen to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey, conducted from February 13 to 16, reveals that only 38 percent of American adults approve of the president's handling of immigration policy, a steady decline from the 50 percent approval he enjoyed in the months immediately following his return to power in early 2025. The findings represent a notable erosion of support on the very issue that formed the cornerstone of his victorious 2024 presidential campaign.
The polling data reveals a particularly striking trend among male voters, a demographic group that played an outsized role in delivering Trump's election victory. Throughout most of 2025, the president's immigration approval rating among men remained near 50 percent, reflecting strong support for his promised deportation drive and enforcement surge. However, the latest survey shows that support has now dropped to 41 percent among men, a significant decline that signals growing unease even within his base. Among women, approval has fallen to 35 percent, down from approximately 40 percent for much of the previous year. The nationwide poll, which gathered responses from 1,117 adults and carries a margin of error of three percentage points, paints a picture of an administration losing ground on its signature issue.
The declining approval numbers coincide with mounting public controversy over the aggressive tactics employed by federal immigration agents, particularly during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. The operation, which deployed thousands of armed agents to Minneapolis and Saint Paul, became one of the most protested actions of Trump's presidency after two American citizens were fatally shot by federal officers. Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7, followed by the death of Alex Pretti, a nurse who worked at a veterans hospital, on January 24. The shootings sparked nationwide demonstrations and intensified scrutiny of enforcement methods that critics describe as militarized and disproportionate.
In a rare retreat that analysts view as directly connected to the shifting political winds, the Trump administration announced last week that it would end the controversial enforcement surge in Minnesota. White House border czar Tom Homan told reporters that President Trump had approved his request to conclude Operation Metro Surge, with agents deployed from other states being sent home over the coming week. While Homan characterized the operation as a "great success" that resulted in more than 4,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants, local officials offered a starkly different assessment. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, stated that the federal government "left us with deep damage, generational trauma" and "economic ruin in some cases," while demanding answers about detained children and investigations into the fatal shootings.
The poll findings arrive as congressional negotiations over funding for the Department of Homeland Security remain deadlocked, with a partial government shutdown now in its fifth day. Senate Democrats are demanding reforms to immigration enforcement practices, including requiring agents to wear body cameras, ending warrantless searches, and prohibiting officers from wearing masks that conceal their identities. Republicans have expressed openness to some provisions, but no agreement has been reached. The standoff reflects the broader national debate over immigration enforcement methods that the polling data suggests is increasingly breaking against the administration.
The erosion of support on immigration mirrors a broader decline in Trump's overall approval ratings, which have remained stuck at the lowest levels of his presidency. Multiple national polls conducted between January and early February show the president's net approval ranging from 19 to 26 points underwater, a range that CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten described as unprecedented for this point in a second term. A recent survey from conservative pollster Rasmussen Reports found that 48 percent of voters now believe former President Joe Biden was the better president, compared to 40 percent for Trump, while 58 percent of respondents said Trump's promised "Golden Age" for America has not arrived. These numbers present mounting political challenges for Republicans as the 2026 midterm elections approach, with strategists facing pressure to localize races and distance vulnerable incumbents from national headwinds.
The White House has sought to minimize the significance of the polling numbers, with spokesman Davis Ingle telling Newsweek that "the ultimate poll was November 5th 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda". Yet the steady decline in support for the administration's core promise suggests that the tactics employed to deliver that agenda have alienated significant portions of the American public, including many who once stood firmly behind the president. As the administration navigates the political fallout from the Minnesota operation and the ongoing funding standoff, the polling data serves as a warning that the immigration issue that helped return Trump to power could become a significant liability in the months ahead.