Majority of NJ voters say ICE tactics make communities less safe

A new statewide poll suggests most New Jersey voters think immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump has crossed the line.

While voters broadly support immigration, deep partisan divides emerge on enforcement. Feelings on immigration also appear to be quickly shifting, with the number of people who believe that immigration should be more difficult dropping from a high of 51% under President Joe Biden to just 25% this month.

According to the latest survey from Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy:
⚫ 66% of voters say immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far

⚫ 12% say they haven’t gone far enough

⚫ 20% say enforcement has been about right.

⚫ Nearly 6 in 10 voters say ICE deportation tactics are making communities less safe.

⚫ Only 29% believe they are making communities safer.

At the same time, voters overwhelmingly support legal immigration.
⚫ 82% back expanding opportunities to immigrate legally, including 65% of Republicans and more than 9 in 10 Democrats. Three-quarters say immigration is a good thing for the country overall.

Stark partisan divide in New Jersey

Despite the broad support for legal immigration, enforcement remains a political flashpoint.

🔴 Among Republicans in New Jersey: 89% approve of Trump’s immigration approach, and 78% say ICE’s tactics make communities safer. Eighty-six percent support increasing resources for ICE.

🔵 Democrats take the opposite view: 96% disapprove of Trump’s approach, and 93% say ICE is making communities less safe. Independents largely lean with Democrats on enforcement issues.

Voters 45 and up are more supportive of deportation efforts than younger voters, who say enforcement has gone too far.

NJ state policies under scrutiny

The poll also gauged reaction to New Jersey policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Forty-eight percent support limiting how local police assist ICE, while 43% oppose. A majority also supports a new state-run online portal allowing residents to report federal immigration enforcement encounters.

The poll surveyed 700 registered voters from Feb. 6-16 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

11 ways New Jersey is making it harder for ICE to operate

With 12,000 additional officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to ramp up detention efforts this year. In New Jersey, proposed measures have been rolled out at the local, county, state and federal levels. Here's a look at what supporters have proposed as safeguards against unconstitutional actions — and what critics call hindrances to immigration enforcement.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

Filed Under: Immigration in NJ