As the Trump Administration continues its ramped-up ICE operations in Minnesota and elsewhere across the country, Americans are weighing their thoughts on various aspects of the actions of federal agents and the response from protesters. A recent Pew Research study found the public is split on multiple aspects of the operations, but mostly supports video recordings of officers making arrests, and opposes racial profiling.
Almost three-fourths (74%) of respondents say it is either “probably” or “definitely” acceptable for bystanders to record videos of immigration officers during arrests. Fewer, but still a significant share (59%), of survey participants believe it is acceptable to share information about areas where officers are making arrests. The public is split, however, on whether it is acceptable to alert immigration officers to people they believe may be in the country illegally, with 47% saying it is unacceptable and 51% saying it is.
Slightly more than half (54%) of respondents believe it is acceptable for federal immigration officers to arrest U.S. citizens who help people avoid arrest by those agents. Almost two-thirds (61%) of respondents believe it is unacceptable for immigration officers to wear face coverings during operations.
The area of agreement among US adults is that they are most supportive of measures to address racial profiling. Almost three-fourths (72%) of respondents said it is unacceptable for federal immigration officers to check the immigration status of a person based on their looks or language. Over a quarter (27%) believe it is probably or definitely acceptable.
There is a wide partisan gap in those who believe racial profiling is acceptable in immigration status checks. Among Democrats, 91% think it is unacceptable to use a person’s looks or the language they speak as a reason for officers to check their status. Republicans are split, with only half (51%) saying it is unacceptable.
More information on Pew’s survey, including a link to its methodology and topline results, is available here.
