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Most Americans believe that the deadly shooting by an immigration officer against Minneapolis resident Renee Good was an inappropriate use of force.
According to a national survey conducted by CNN and the research firm SSRS, an American company based in Pennsylvania that specializes in public opinion studies, approximately half of those surveyed believe that the incident reflects broader issues in how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates.
Less than a third say that the agency's actions have made the cities safer.
Only 26 percent of respondents rate the shooting as an appropriate use of force. The majority, 56 percent, consider it inappropriate, and 51 percent believe the case highlights structural failures within ICE.
A minimal percentage sees it as an isolated incident, while the rest say they do not have enough information to form an opinion.
Data from CNN shows that 51 percent of Americans believe that ICE operations make cities less safe, compared to 31 percent who hold the opposite view. An additional 18 percent think that the agency's actions have had little impact.
The video of Agent Jonathan Ross shooting Good has generated mixed reactions among Democrats and Republicans.
More than eight out of ten Democrats and independents close to that party believe that the shooting was an inappropriate use of force and that the agency is facing systemic problems.
In contrast, 67 percent of Republicans believe that ICE's actions have made cities safer, and 56 percent support the use of force by the agent.
Among independents with no party affiliation, more than half agree that ICE operations are making cities less safe and that the shooting reflects institutional failures within the agency.
The study also shows that just over half of Americans believe that the deportation policies endorsed by President Donald Trump are excessive.
By a ten-point margin, 47 percent to 37 percent, respondents express greater concern over the repression against demonstrators than over the protests themselves.
Only 37 percent express confidence that the federal government will conduct a fair and thorough investigation of the case, and just 38 percent approve of the performance of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.
Within the Republican Party, voters who identify with the Make America Great Again movement are 32 points more likely to support the actions of the ICE agent than other Republicans.
In urban areas, even among conservatives, there is less support for the agency's actions than in suburban and rural areas.
In general, 59 percent of Americans living in cities—a group that tends to lean more Democratic—believe that ICE enforcement is making urban areas less safe.
The CNN poll also shows a sustained shift in public opinion regarding the handling of immigration under Trump's presidency.
In February 2025, 45 percent of those surveyed said that the deportation efforts had gone too far.
By April, following several high-profile cases, that figure exceeded 50 percent, and in the most recent measure, it reached 52 percent.
Trump's approval rating on immigration, which had reached 51 percent in March 2025, fell to 42 percent in July and has remained stable since the shooting in Minnesota, according to the latest data from CNN.
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