1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

If you are data-driven about public opinion, the political opportunity now is clear. YouGov/The Economist polling from January 9-12 found 50% view the shooting of Renee Nicole Good as unjustified versus 30% who called it justified — a 20-point margin. Quinnipiac University released a poll on January 13 showing 57% of voters disapprove of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while just 40% approve. Similar to YouGov’s numbers, a majority (53%) said the Good shooting was not justified, versus 35% who said it was. CNN/SSRS found on January 14 that 51% of Americans say the ICE agent who killed Renee Good in Minneapolis used an “inappropriate use of force” that “reflects bigger problems with ICE operations,” compared to just 26% who said it was appropriate force. Additionally, 51% of adults said enforcement is making cities less safe — not safer. Just 31% think the agency is improving safety. And in what may be the most striking finding, according to YouGov, a plurality of Americans, registered voters, and independents now say the U.S. should abolish ICE. In his 1922 book Public Opinion, Walter Lippmann argued that citizens don’t respond to the world itself, but to “the pictures in our heads” — the mental images we associate with political concepts. When a voter hears “immigration,” they don’t consult a policy brief. They recall whatever images and stories dominate their mental landscape. For years, that picture was chaos at the border: caravans, asylum seekers, overwhelmed agents. That picture favored Republicans. But by expanding ICE’s use of force, Trump has tied together “immigration” and “shooting American citizens.” Democrats can now attack the former without appearing to defend the Biden administration’s record on immigration, and especially asylum. Democrats can attach visceral images of ICE abuse to the word “immigration” in voters’ minds — and in doing so, erode Trump’s advantage on the issue and push back more effectively against his agenda in and out of Congress. The time to defund (or drastically reform) ICE is NOW.