The majority of Americans do not want to see the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), regardless of calls to dismantle the agency by certain members of the Democratic Party, according to the results of a new poll, released on Monday.
The poll from the University of Chicago’s NORC and the Associated Press saw only 24% of voters in favor of scrapping the agency, with 40% opposed to the idea and 34% abstaining. 1,055 adults took part in the survey, which was conducted between 16 – 20 of this month. There was little difference in party lines, with only small minorities of either of the two major political parties or independents in the US supporting the proposal.
The agency played a part in enforcing the hardline immigration policies pursued by the Trump administration, including the controversial zero-tolerance policy that resulted in the separation of immigrant families, and caused the rise of the Abolish ICE movement. But, despite several protests calling for the agency to be shut down, 37% of the August survey’s participants said they viewed the agency in an unfavorable light, with 33% having no opinion and 30% having a more favorable view.
61% of respondents do not approve of President Donald Trump’s performance on the immigration issue, a figure unchanged since the last poll in February, with 42% saying the number of legal immigrants should remain unchanged from the current levels.