A new U.S survey released on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, has indicated that support for United States President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has dropped in 2026.
According to the survey, support for Trump’s immigration policies hits its lowest point since the start of his second term in January 2025.
The latest data from the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey, revealed that public confidence in the administration’s signature issue is “tumbling,” driven by concerns over aggressive enforcement tactics and recent high-profile incidents involving federal agents.
While immigration was a cornerstone of the 2024 campaign, current polling suggests that the “mandate” for radical reform may be cooling.
The latest figures show that only 39% of Americans now approve of the President’s handling of the issue.
This is a sharp departure from early 2025, when nearly half the country supported his initial executive actions.
Analysts suggest that support for Trump’s immigration policies has been negatively impacted by “Operation Metro Surge” and controversial incidents in cities like Minneapolis.
Also, a recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 60% of voters now believe the administration is being “too harsh” in its treatment of undocumented immigrants, with a growing majority of independents distancing themselves from the White House’s current trajectory.
Meanwhile, the poll conducted by NBC between January 27, 2026, and February 6, 2026, revealed that 49% of adults strongly disapprove of how Trump has handled border security and immigration, up from 38% strong disapproval last summer and 34% in April.
Fully 60% of those surveyed in the week after the death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota somewhat or strongly disapproved of Trump’s actions on border security and immigration. Another 40% approved of Trump on the issue, including 27% who strongly approved and 13% who somewhat approved.
Trump’s overall approval rating declined slightly to 39%, about even with his rating on immigration and border security.
The findings expose the limitations of the Trump messaging machine in the wake of the fatal shootings of Pretti and Renee Good by immigration agents in Minnesota. The administration has tried to turn the conversation away from acts of aggression against immigrants, protesters, and residents, instead focusing on the dangers of “sanctuary” policies and asserting that a silent majority of Americans welcome immigration agents’ stepped-up presence in their cities.
Instead, nearly three-quarters of the poll respondents say they want the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to be reformed or abolished. They overwhelmingly say immigration officers have gone too far. Well over half, 63%, say the federal government has gone too far in disregarding local and state governments, compared with 37% who said state and local governments have gone too far in disregarding federal authority.
A strong majority, 63%, disapprove of immigration agents’ wearing masks. More blame street clashes on the administration, not protesters. And 58% disagreed when they were asked whether regular, law-abiding citizens had “nothing to fear” from immigration agents.
Americans do want to see local cooperation with federal authorities to deport people in the U.S. illegally. The largest segment of respondents, 46%, said local governments should cooperate in some cases. Thirty-four percent said they should cooperate in all cases, and 20% said they never should cooperate.
The poll also comes after many Nigerians in the U.S have been fleeing over Trump’s aggressive immigration rules.
It was reported that many Nigerians have gone into hiding, with many self-deporting after the ICE began full operations across the U.S.
