U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has played an increasingly visible role in the nation’s immigration enforcement system under the Trump administration. ICE’s core responsibilities include identifying, arresting, detaining, and deporting undocumented immigrants. In recent months, however, its operations in Minneapolis have drawn widespread attention and public concerns over the use of force, following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents during enforcement activities and reports of aggressive enforcement tactics, including forced entries into homes and an attempt to enter the Ecuadorian consulate without permission. Across the country, faith leaders are spearheading demonstrations against ICE tactics and the conditions of those individuals who are detained. This Spotlight Analysis examines factors shaping Americans’ confidence in ICE, including party and religion, and their views of whether federal funding for the agency has gone too far.
Although conducted before ICE’s arrival in Minneapolis, PRRI’s 2025 American Values Survey sheds light on how party, religion, and other demographic factors are linked to confidence in ICE. Overall, just 42% of Americans say they have a great deal or some confidence in ICE, with most saying they have little or no confidence at all (56%). Most Democrats (85%) and independents (62%) have little or no confidence in ICE, compared with only 21% of Republicans.
Additionally, a majority of Americans (52%) believe that increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to accelerate arrest, detention, and deportation efforts under the Trump administration has gone too far. Again, views vary sharply by party: 85% of Democrats and 59% of independents hold this view, compared with just 15% of Republicans.
Distrust in ICE also varies by religious affiliation, with pronounced differences among racial groups. It is considerably lower among white Christian groups, including white evangelical Protestants (30%), white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants (41%), white Catholics (41%), and Latter-day Saints (47%). By contrast, solid majorities of religiously unaffiliated Americans (75%), other non-Christians (71%), Black Protestants (70%), Jewish Americans (69%), Hispanic Catholics (66%), and Hispanic Protestants (64%) have little or no confidence in ICE.
A similar trend takes place regarding federal funding for ICE, with few white evangelical Protestants (22%), white mainline/ non-evangelical Protestants (39%) and white Catholics (39%) saying ICE funding increases have gone too far, while much higher shares of Latter Day Saints (56%), Hispanic Protestants (57%), Jewish Americans (63%), Black Protestants (65%), other non-Christians (65%), Hispanic Catholics (70%) and unaffiliated Americans (70%) agree.
Distrust in ICE is negatively correlated with Christian nationalism beliefs, too. Those who qualify as Adherents and Sympathizers (33%) are half as likely as Skeptics and Rejecters (69%) to report little or no confidence in ICE. Yet white Christian nationalism Adherents and Sympathizers (23%) are substantially less likely than their Black (58%) and Hispanic (56%) counterparts to distrust ICE.
Similarly, among Christian nationalism groups, only 28% of Adherents and Sympathizers say ICE funding increases have gone too far, compared with two-thirds of Skeptics and Rejecters (66%). This divide persists among racial subgroups: just 15% of white Christian nationalism Adherents and Sympathizers hold this view, compared with a slim majority of their Black (52%) and Hispanic (53%) counterparts.
Although there are some differences between white Christian nationalism Skeptics and Rejecters and their Black and Hispanic counterparts in their views towards ICE, these differences are considerably less pronounced.
White Americans are divided over their confidence in ICE (50% have confidence vs. 49% who have little or no confidence), while solid majorities of Americans of color, including Black (69%), Hispanic (68%), and AAPI Americans (67%), have little or no confidence. Americans of color are also significantly more likely than white Americans to believe ICE funding increases have gone too far: most Hispanic (66%), AAPI (62%), Black (61%), and multiracial Americans (56%), compared with 45% of white Americans.
While there are no differences by gender, Americans with a college education and younger Americans are more likely than Americans without a college degree and older Americans to distrust ICE and say that federal funding has gone too far.
Among those who say immigration is a critical issue, over four in ten have little or no confidence in ICE (45%) and say that ICE funding has gone too far (42%).
