Only 13% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of ICE, survey says

Only 13% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of ICE, compared to 72% of Republicans, according to a new Pew Research survey.   

About a quarter of Democrats (26%) view the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) favorably, down considerably from 57% in 2024,

About two-thirds of Republicans (68%) now express a positive view of DHS, up from 41% a year ago, as the Trump administration has shifted federal bureaucracy.

The new Pew Research Center survey was conducted from August 4 to 10 among 3,554 adults.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) gets disapproval from 46% of Americans, while 39% of Americans view it favorably. Last year, 43% had a favorable view, 44% an unfavorable one.

Along partisan lines, 28% of Democrats and Democratic leaners view the DOJ favorably, down 27 points from last year.

Partisans’ views of the FBI, a component agency of the Justice Department, have shifted to a similar degree.

In Center surveys conducted by telephone through 2020, partisans’ views of the departments of Justice and Homeland Security also tended to become more positive when the presidency was held by their party, though the gaps in these views are now more pronounced. There were also relatively modest partisan gaps in evaluations of the FBI during that period.

Many other federal agencies continue to get positive ratings, both overall and across the political spectrum.

On balance, Americans rate 13 of the 16 federal agencies asked about in the survey more favorably than unfavorably. Of those 13 agencies, nine have net favorable ratings of 15 points or more.

Topping the list is the National Park Service, which 76% of Americans give it a favorable rating, including 78% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats. For the National Weather Service, 76% of Americans view it favorably, including 75% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats.

The U.S. Postal Service, NASA, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs are also all viewed more positively than negatively overall, but Democrats view them more favorably than Republicans.

Democrats also continue to be much more likely than Republicans to view the Federal Reserve favorably.

Equal shares of Republicans currently express favorable and unfavorable opinions of the Fed (41% each). These views are slightly more positive than last year, when 35% were favorable and 44% were unfavorable.