A new Harvard/Harris public opinion poll shows two-thirds of Americans now disapprove of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That spells trouble for taxpayers and everyone who wants safe neighborhoods.
A majority of Americans voted for President Donald Trump to enforce immigration laws. The poll, done just after the shooting of anti-ICE activist Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, indicates how Democratic political rhetoric and misleading media reports are causing most Americans to change their minds. Democrats in Congress are trying to hold back ICE funds.
If this growing movement to hamstring ICE and let recent illegals stay here succeeds, hold on to your wallet. Either the criminal migrants roving the streets will rob you, or you’ll have to empty your wallet yourself to pay for the welfare benefits illegals consume.
Last week, New York City cops nabbed four gun-toting criminals ages 18 to 20 who had just robbed a couple on West 47th Street. Of course, because of New York’s pro-criminal laws, a judge let them back out on the street within hours. Here’s what’s key: Three of the thugs already were wanted on ICE detainers.
If politicians would let ICE do its job and remove these criminals, we’d be a lot safer.
New York data show illegals commit crimes three times as often as legal residents.
Politicians demanding that ICE leave their states are stabbing the public in the back. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger ordered state law enforcement to dissolve any partnerships with ICE. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for the agency’s abolition. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is telling ICE to “go home.”
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced legislation to limit local police cooperation with ICE, which she calls “a rogue federal agency that’s been unleashed on the American streets for the sole purpose of creating chaos, carnage and fear.” Nonsense.
The tragic deaths in Minnesota need to be investigated, and ICE training procedures need to be adapted to the new reality of subversive agitators like the Chinese Communist Party-linked People’s Forum egging on crowds to obstruct ICE agents. They are not trained on how to handle this manufactured obstruction.
But ICE’s core mission is vital. Violent crime surged during former President Joe Biden’s four years — at the same time that the U.S. experienced an unprecedented influx of illegal aliens. Over 60% of those arrested by ICE in the last year have pending criminal charges or convictions, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons testified to Congress on Tuesday.
If ICE is allowed to do its job, our streets will be safer, and the nation’s generous welfare benefits can be spent on needy Americans.
An estimated 61% of households headed by an illegal used federal welfare benefits in 2024, including SNAP, Medicaid, federally supported health centers, substance abuse treatment programs, mental health services and Head Start.
Illegals are not eligible for these things under federal law, and Trump cracked down on their use when he took office in 2025. But many blue states, including California, Connecticut and New York, then shifted the cost on to state taxpayers.
Lamont blamed Trump’s “harsh cuts” for increased state spending in Connecticut, without actually spelling out that the money is going for illegals.
Unless ICE deports a large number of those who entered the country unlawfully, overstayed visas or were paroled during the Biden presidency, these migrants will cost America $1.5 trillion over their lifetimes. Immigrants ages 18 to 24 without a high school diploma cost taxpayers the most, each consuming an average of $332,000 in lifetime welfare and health benefits, according to the Manhattan Institute.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani couldn’t care less. He just announced that the roughly 31,000 migrants depending on the city’s shelter system can stay an unlimited time at an estimated cost of $270 per day per family. Former Mayor Eric Adams had imposed a 60-day limit to save taxpayers’ money, but Mamdani is throwing that limit to the wind.
On Friday, Mamdani barred ICE from accessing records of who uses public benefits, saying, “No New Yorker should be afraid to apply for city services like child care because they are an immigrant.”
Mamdani urged generosity “for the stranger among us.” Soaring rhetoric, to be sure. But soon the mayor will have to deal with the reality of a $12 billion budget hole and ask what sacrifices other New Yorkers should have to endure to provide child care for illegals.
In 2023, Adams warned that the influx of illegals “would destroy New York City.” New York cannot take care of an unlimited number of “strangers among us.”
Mamdani needs to put aside the fairytale rhetoric and work out an arrangement with his texting buddy — Trump — to enable ICE to do its job safely.
In Gotham and across the nation, ICE is needed. Don’t fall for the manufactured hysteria.
Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York State and Chairman & Founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website.
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The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Polls? You mean the media’s way of tipping the scale of opinion. What’s next defunding FBI, state police, sheriffs and local police because politicians and bureaucrats don’t care about the rule of law? Start with them. This system of jurisdiction is the problem why protesters are selective and give some law enforcement a free pass and ICE singled out. These protests don’t reflect the pulse of the nation and neither do these asinine Polls.
It is shameful that citizens have fallen for the negative rhetoric of the Democrats and MSM. It is funny that the Democrats do not want ICE as they used the agency during their party’s time in the White House. What will the Democrats do when these criminals start robbing and killing them? Maybe ICE will drag their feet when it is the Democrat’s time for rescue.
Politicians demanding that ICE leaves the state? How about tax payer demanding that politicians pay for the mess they cause? Tax payer feeds the politicians only to be stabbed in the back by the same. Could this be more perverse?
Harvard/Harris says it all! Anyone believing anything from Marxist Harvard/Pravda probably also believed the reports that cigarette smoking is neither addictive, nor dangerous to their health conducted by Dr. Marlboro. As Mark Twain once correctly stated “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Polls fall into category number three. I hold to what my probability and statistics professor once told me long before the current Marxist infestation of our institutes of now higher indoctrination, “I only believe in statistics, and polls I have forged myself!”
A Harvard/Harris Poll? I can’t imagine a more left biased poll source. And exactly who did they poll? I don’t believe that they polled 2/3 of the entire citizen population of our entire country. They probably polled all left leaning people, and left out right leaning people.
I’m starting to get pretty angry and disgusted enough to not want to vote. Yeah, I know! The Democrats are SO much better at lying than the Republicans are at telling the truth! (Stole that from someone interviewed on Newsmax). Republicans are going to LOSE in November because of the outright lies the Democrats are telling, the media is constantly airing…we need some rich people to step up and start funding full page ads telling the truth in all of Americans newspapers!! Billboards with statistics telling the truth. Some brave journalist needs to write a piece on exactly why illegals are costing the citizens (I guarantee the entire population of the US including the Congress has no clue!!) and maybe then people will wake up. November is likely to be a bloodbath, Trump gets impeached and then Vance can’t get anything done. WAKE UP REPUBLICANS!!
I am appalled that the polls indicate so many USA citizens fell for the manufactured scenes pushed by leftist politicians and media. The blood is real. The tragedy is real. The motives behind the actions are not. People like Ms. Goode and Mr. Pretti were maneuvered into place as cannon fodder. And therein lies the true horror of the situation.
More like 2/3 of Americans approve of ice and illegal alien deportation. These liberal polls atre always that. Liberal views/ hype !
The radical liberals must stop our efforts to get rid of these horrible illegal immigrant criminals so they can use them to vote illegally for them this year. They will lie and cheat to make it happen. I have not believed one word of of the Democrats’ mouths since O’Bama was in office. They have ended all trust in their party.
ICE and law enforcement are doing a great job! The American people must stand behind them and give them the support they need and deserve! We the American people also need to put an end to our enemies the Democratic Party and all of their allies! Those individuals need to be stopped now and their assets seized and confiscated and used towards our national debt that the Democratic Party created! This would lower our taxes for all true American citizens!
Well manufactured hysteria is the democrats campaign to overthrow this country. We Americans will be bled dry to support the 20 million that walked into this country and robbed and pillaged raped and murdered and committed large fraud on taxpayers every where. Only the democrats wanted these as 20 million voters. And called them our neighbors, a Maryland Dad. Mamdani calls them New Yorkers. Mamdani isn’t even a New Yorker. How can you support people that want to do you harm. And are given all your tax money and when there comes a time you might need help from SNAP or Medicaid you won’t get any because there is no money for you. We American citizens who pay our taxes live within the laws of the land. Take care we have health insurance. We have a legal drivers license. Register to vote legally. We are saps. We have to support all these criminals and those who came here to graze and soak up all the riches Biden et al promised them. And we are the domestic terrorists. ICE has to go. In their mind. Because legally they cannot be eliminated. That is why they try to defund them. Like they defunded the police. And under their DEI program let their base
loose on jewelry stores, department stores, pharmacies. These stores had to put toothpaste under lock and key for heavens sake. What else did they do. Oh yes burned down 9-10 grocery distributions centers so there was a shortage of food supplies. Baby food was contaminated so babies would starve. All to depopulate America. And as soon as ICE has been eliminated a civil war will break out in this country. The democrats are not pro America they want a communist regime. Obama started it, Sanders, Pocahontas, AOC, Oman, Talaib. Mamdani, Crockett, Newsom and not to forget Pelosi and Harris are still obeying his vision and hatred for this country.
First of all don’t believe anything that Harvard is involved in. They are liberal and isometic communist Marxist liars. And if you seriously believe 2/3 of the people in the country side with criminals and opposed law enforcement you are absolutely nuts. I think they really need to institute a voter role at the other end of the 911 line if you’re a Democrat they will not respond to a 911 call. You’re on your own you don’t like police
This was the democrats sole intention. To turn the public away from law enforcement. Ref the Harvard poll-that college and state is a bastion of liberal and woke ideology and home to democrats. I would like to see AMAC publish the results of a REAL poll. We get enough of this drivel from MSLSD, ABC, CBS, NBC and Live Fox Now. Stop proliferating these phony polls and report what real people across America think about this situation.
Sounds like a game to me, between the Republicans, Marxist’s and other Politicians. When do you get away with breaking the LAW. Has this country lost it’s backbone?
This is just my opinion, the new Mayor of NYC is apparently not looking out for the people.Four illegals robbed people and the cops caught them and the judge let them out,3 of them had federal warrants. Newsom gave a CDL license to an illegal and he killed a family of 4. All the influx of illegals started with the Obama’s and continued with Sleepy Joe.You have the Squad that spews hate from their first morning breath.If you hate our country that much then leave and try that there. If you want to come over here then do it the right way.Alot of politicians should be careful what they wish for.Sorry for the rant NOT!!!
I have trouble believing that poll.
Considering that if those who apply for any of these government benefits have to meet certain qualifications, which those who evaluate these forms to eliminate/verified the eligibility for these individuals to receive any benefits long term–there’s always funds for a temporary help but not for permanent assistance. Welfare is supposed to be a temporary measure to help the individual get on their feet and the goal is to become self-sufficient and never reliant on receiving benefits as the means to self-sufficencyConsidering that if those who apply for any of these government benefits have to meet certain qualifications, which those who evaluate these forms do to eliminate/verify the eligibility for these individuals to receive any benefits long term–there’s always funds for temporary help but not for permanent assistance. Welfare is supposed to be a temporary measure to help the individual get on their feet and the goal is to become self-sufficient and never reliant on receiving benefits as the means to self-sufficiency. I only say this, because I was told this when I tried to get SNAP help for grocery aid to feed my children and was told that I made/earned enough money to cover my bills, and I should budget my spending better–getting any government benefits is not a reason to have splurge money but to learn how to budget spending–something everyone needs assistance with.
2/3er’ds of American’s don’t approve of ICE?? IF that’s true,…it means that 2/3rd’s of America aren’t paying attention to reality.
Any poll involving Harvard is not what I’d call a reliably based source of information. Poison Ivy League schools are known for many things but a lack of bias certainly isn’t one of them!
So a far-left polling organization does a poll for an ultra far-left college and we’re supposed to believe the results?
I do not in any way believe that 2/3 of Americans are against ICE. This is a fake report done by a leftist group I am certain! They always want to give the negative on ICE to make people believe this!
What we’re seeing is a concerted effort by deep-state players and destabilizers like Soros, Neville Roy Singham, the Clintons, et al, who are sociopaths, hell-bent on getting rich on the suffering of others. They have no loyalty to the US, no, quite the opposite. Add to that stupid legislation like Citizens United, which allows huge amounts of money to be donated by PACs, typically on the left, and we’re helping author our own demise. I’m not for this, but if amnesty were granted to the illegal base it would be one thing, but the forces of evil want open borders so that our nationalism is gone and likely replaced by tribalism and in that scheme, the most powerful wins. It’s easy to see this happening, especially when our kids are brainwashed radicals and revisionist history is taught in the current social-emotional learning model where white supremacist males are the reason for society’s oppression. I hate to be bleak, but I think we’re doomed. If the Dems/left keep cheating in elections, they’ll eventually get a supermajority and if that happens, they’ve got a blank checkbook to do whatever they want.
I don’t trust this poll or most polls for that matter. Keep deporting.
The New Administration is being successful at Cleaning Up the Immigration Mess the Democrats Created, so Now they’re Going Shut the Government Down. After they created this Chaos!
PEASE AMERICA! LET ICE DO IT’S JOB!!! Get rid of paid protestors!
YEA for ICE! We desperately need ICE to arrest and deport illegals, esp. felons!
This is awful to say, but I just want some blue sanctuary state politician’s wife or child be a victim of crime by an illegal who should have been deported!
Thank You, Obiden. Thank you, Dumba$$ocrat$. Thank you, MSM.
Harvard’s poll, enough said. Whoever wrote this is trying to fan the flames.
During WWII US govt put Chinese people in camps and nothing was said or done to stop this. We put illegals in detention facilities in the process of deporting them per our laws and the constitution and instant uproar? Whats the real uproar? Its the democrats who brought them in illegally to get them to vote for them to keep democrats in office to continue stealing from us the taxpayers. To show the illegals esp the somalis how to launder money for the democrats. We need ICE more than ever. If we don’t send a strong message than this country will cease to exist. Again, bring back the 1800’s judicial system and hang them all like ornaments on a tree. This is blantant treason!!!