The intensifying crackdown on immigration in Minnesota is dragging down President Donald Trump's approval rating, according to a new analysis, but he seems bent on raising the temperature.
The 79-year-old president threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests against his mass deportation campaign and the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, and CNN's Harry Enten said the chaotic scenes caught on video seem to be denting his support.
"Immigration helped Donald Trumpget elected to a second term," Enten said. "It's been something he's beenrunning on since he first ranfor the presidency back in the2015, 2016 cycle, and I thinkthere's this idea out there thatimmigration is a strength forhim. It's why he keeps goingback to being very aggressive onimmigration enforcement. But itis a strength no longer – it's aweakness."
"What are we talkingabout here?" he added. "Well, take a lookhere: Trump's net approvalrating on immigration, you goback a year ago he was in thepositive at plus-eight points – two thumbs up. You come over tothis side of the screen – hello.Look at this drop: way, way downin the basement, now down to minus-11points. That's a nearly 20-point switcheroo in the negativedirection. The American peoplehave turned on Donald Trump whenit comes to immigrationenforcement. They do not likewhat he is doing, simply put."
Trump has long operated on the assumption that Americans want to see punitive enforcement of immigration laws, Enten said, but polling indicates they don't like the way his administration has implemented that policy.
"Donald Trump may have this ideathat I want to be hawkish onimmigration, that's what the American people want to see," Enten said. "They want to see that we'rereally going out there, andwe're rounding up people whoare in the country illegally.But take a look on this. This, Ithink, really gives the gameaway. How long has Trump had anegative net approval rating onimmigration? It has been everyday since the Los Angeles ICEprotests."
"Remember, that was thefirst real sort of fight betweenthose protesters and those folksout there on ICE," he added. "That was, ofcourse, back in June of 2025,and we have now had 218 days ina row in which Donald Trump hashad a net negative approvalrating on immigration. Again,the American people do not likethe way that Donald Trump isenforcing the immigration lawsin this country."
ICE has emerged as a villain in the public imagination, Enten said, and that agency's unpopularity is weighing down the president's approval.
"ICE as an institutionis failing in the polls and itis dragging Donald Trump downwith them," he said. "What are we talkingabout here? Well, take a lookhere. ICE net approvalrating in Trump's first term, hewas at zero point – excuse me, ICE was at zero points. Youknow, not too hot to trot, butnot too bad either. It washigher than Donald Trump'soverall approval rating. But nowlook at this: minus-17 points, minus-17points, the net approval ratingof ICE among independents. It'seven lower than that, 31 points underwater. ICE is dragging Trumpdown, and Trump's immigrationapproval rating down with him."