Summary
UPI coverage of a New York Times/Siena Research Institute poll (Jan. 12–17, 2026, n=1,625) finding 63% of registered voters disapprove of ICE’s job performance, 61% say ICE tactics have “gone too far,” and Trump’s overall approval is at 34%. The poll was taken after the killing of Renée Good and during the period of maximum protest activity.
Key Points
- 63% disapprove of how ICE is handling its job; 36% approve; 1% don’t know
- Breakdown: 55% strongly disapprove, 8% somewhat disapprove vs. 24% strongly approve, 12% somewhat approve
- 61% say ICE tactics have “gone too far”; 26% “about right”; 11% “not gone far enough”
- Most important problems: economy/jobs (19%), immigration/enforcement (12%)
- On deportations: 50% net support vs. 47% net oppose — deeply divided; 32% strongly support, 32% strongly oppose
- Trump’s overall approval: 34%
- Trump threatened to sue the NYT and Siena over the poll; called it “fake and fraudulent”
- Context provided: 5-year-old detained, Walz subpoenaed, activists arrested at church, Vance visited Minnesota
Newsletter Angles
- The 34% approval number is the broader political context: ICE controversy is dragging Trump’s overall approval down, not just on immigration specifically. The political cost of the Minnesota enforcement is not isolated to the issue.
- Trump threatening to sue his pollsters is itself a story about information environment: the president is trying to invalidate the feedback mechanism that would show him he’s losing the public. “Fake and fraudulent polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense” — that’s not a political argument, it’s a rejection of accountability.
- The deportation split (50/47, with 32% strongly supporting on both sides) shows this issue remains genuinely contested even as ICE tactics alienate the middle. People support the goal (deportations) but oppose the methods (ICE as currently operating).
Entities Mentioned
- Killing of Renée Good — the killing that dominated the survey period
- Donald Trump — threatened to sue NYT/Siena over results
- Operation Metro Surge — the enforcement operation being rated
Concepts Mentioned
- Political Stress — 63% disapproval reflects accumulated stress from the January enforcement wave
- Institutional Gaslighting — Trump calling polls “fake” while they measure real public sentiment
Notes
The NYT/Siena poll is generally considered one of the most credible national surveys; Republican favorability toward this pollster is low (Trump has sued them in the past). The poll captures the Jan. 12–17 window — after Good’s killing but before the second Minneapolis shooting (Jan. 24/25). Margin of error ±2.8 pp.