A leftist think tank is urging Democrats to play “hardball” with Republicans over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The Searchlight Institute, a nonprofit organization launched last year to reshape the Democratic Party’s strategy, issued a memo making the case for using the controversy over immigration against the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections.
The memo discussed new polling of likely 2026 voters showing that 48 percent “want ICE to be reined in.” A majority supports reforming the agency rather than abolishing or expanding it.
Large bipartisan majorities oppose several practices that have come under scrutiny. Researchers found that 73 percent oppose “detaining U.S. citizens while 79 percent oppose entering people’s homes without warrants. About 70 percent did not approve of ICE agents failing to wear clearly identifying uniforms,” according to the poll.
The study found that ICE is unpopular, with a net -17 percent approval rating.
Yet, this does not mean that voters do not want immigration authorities to target and deport illegal immigrants. The issue appears to be what voters want these agencies to prioritize. The study found that 72 percent of voters support immigration enforcement if it focuses on dangerous criminals. Even further, 58 percent of Democrats say at least some illegal immigrants should face deportation.
In light of this data, the organization insists that Senate Democrats should use the upcoming Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding votes to pressure the Trump administration into accepting various reforms that line up with public opinion. “Taken together, these findings indicate that reform, not abolition or expansion, is the option with the strongest public consensus,” the memo reads, also pointing out that voters “want ICE to follow the law, and focus enforcementon people who pose a threat to public safety.”
This is a critical point from Sen Chris Murphy: If Dems fold on ICE now, it could be a disaster in the midterms.
— . (@GregTSargent) January 27, 2026
"The result will be a lot of voters who tend to turn out in midterm elections just won’t."
Here's our full exchange. It's powerful stuff:https://t.co/KYmQf4XL83 pic.twitter.com/C4jnIg1zh2
The survey also found that 63 percent favor a level of cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE, such as checking immigration status during criminal arrests. However, they do not want these arrests to occur during hospital admissions or school enrollment.
The memo argues that Democrats should “use their leverage to achieve meaningful changes that rein in ICE’s abuses and refocus the agency on its critical law enforcement mission.”
Some Democrats are already pushing this idea, threatening a partial shutdown if Republicans don’t agree to pull ICE funding from the upcoming funding bill.
Adam Jentleson, founder of the Searchlight Institute, told Politico that the ICE issue “is likely to be their last major leverage point for several months at least if not for the rest of the year” and noted that “the tragic events that have unfolded in Minneapolis have shocked the conscience of Americans and brought their attention to the horrible s**t that ICE is doing.”