Half of Americans Say ICE Is Making Cities Less Safe; Most Call Renee Good Shooting Inappropriate, CNN/SSRS Poll Finds

A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds that most Americans view the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by an immigration officer as an inappropriate use of force, and roughly half say it signals broader problems with how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates.

The survey reports that just 26% of U.S. adults consider the shooting an appropriate use of force, while a majority — 56% — call it inappropriate. About 51% of respondents say the incident reflects larger issues in ICE’s conduct; only a single-digit share views it as an isolated event, and the remainder say they have not heard enough to judge.

Views on ICE and Urban Safety

Overall, Americans say by a 51% to 31% margin that ICE enforcement actions have made cities less safe rather than safer; another 18% say there has been little effect either way. City residents — a group that leans Democratic — are especially likely to say ICE has reduced urban safety: 59% of city-dwellers report greater concern.

Partisan Split

Reactions to video of ICE agent Jonathan Ross shooting Good sharply divide Democrats and Republicans, a split mirrored in the public. More than eight in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents describe the shooting as inappropriate and say it signals broader problems, with a comparable share saying ICE enforcement has made cities less safe.

By contrast, a 67% majority of Republican-aligned adults say ICE enforcement has made cities safer, and 56% of that group call the shooting appropriate; the remainder either condemn it or decline to weigh in. Among independents who do not lean toward either party, a majority say ICE enforcement is making cities less safe and view the shooting as evidence of systemic problems.

A protester holds a sign near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on January 9. - Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

There are notable divisions inside the GOP: adults who identify with the “Make America Great Again” movement are about 32 percentage points more likely than other Republicans to support the agent’s actions. While Republican-aligned urban residents generally say ICE enforcement has improved safety, they do so at lower rates than Republican-aligned suburban and rural residents.

Broader Opinions on Immigration and Leadership

Immigration has been a central issue in former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. As his administration pushed a more aggressive deportation agenda, public opinion shifted against his approach. In February, 45% of Americans said Trump’s deportation efforts had gone too far; by April — after several high-profile deportations, including the since-reversed removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — that number rose above 50% and has remained there. In the latest poll, 52% say Trump’s deportation efforts have gone too far.

Trump’s approval on immigration also fell early in his second term: it was 51% last March but dropped to 42% by July 2025. In the immediate wake of the Minnesota shooting, his approval on the issue remained near that lower level.

Only 37% of the public says they have a great deal or a moderate amount of trust in the federal government to conduct a fair and thorough investigation of the shooting, and just 38% approve of Kristi Noem’s performance as secretary of homeland security.

Poll Details

The CNN/SSRS survey was conducted online and by phone from January 9–12 among a random national sample of 1,209 adults. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is ±3.1 percentage points. CNN reporters Jennifer Agiesta and Edward Wu contributed to this report.