PHOTO: DEPOSIT PHOTOS
PHOTO: DEPOSIT PHOTOS
Matthew Fazelpoor//February 20, 2026//
A new poll from the Stockton University William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy finds that two-thirds of New Jersey voters believe immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far.
The poll found 59% of respondents feel U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation tactics make communities less safe. While 29% say the strategy has had the opposite effect. The center surveyed 700 registered voters Feb. 6–16 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points.
A majority (62%) disapprove of the Trump administration‘s approach to immigration, while 35% approve.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signs an Executive Order prohibiting ICE agents from entering or using nonpublic areas of state property without a judicial warrant. Read more.
The survey comes amid the hot-button debate over immigration policy, on the heels of two deaths in Minneapolis involving ICE agents as well as a number of dustups here in New Jersey, in towns such as Roxbury, Jersey City, Hoboken, Newark, Edison and more.
“While there is broad agreement in New Jersey that immigration contributes positively to the country and bipartisan support for expanding legal pathways, views on how immigration is enforced and the scope of those efforts remain highly polarized,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director and head of polling, Hughes Center. “Democrats and Republicans also have vastly different perceptions on the impact of immigration.”
The full poll results are available here.