Name: Kornacki: ‘Large number’ of independents strongly disapprove of Trump’s immigration agenda
Uploaded: 2026-02-12T06:55:00.000Z
Duration: 4 min 48 s
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Adverbs of degree

Congress is barreling towards a partial government shutdown in just two days.

Negotiations appear to have stalled as Democrats demand reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in exchange for funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the White House proposal insufficient, as Majority Leader Thune suggested a solution wouldn't be found before the looming deadline.

The bottom line is it was incomplete and insufficient.

We need legislative language that will rein in ICE and end the violence.

The proposal didn't come close to doing that.

I would say, again, it's a work in progress.

But I would hope that the Democrats here in the Senate, if it takes more time, which I believe it will, would be amenable to allowing us to get an extension of the continuing resolution to allow more time for those negotiations to continue.

It comes as new NBC decision desk polling shows the president's approval on immigration issues falling and Americans largely supporting the idea of reforming ice.

NBC chief data analyst Steve Kornacki joins me with more from the poll.

Steve, so great to see you at the big board in your element.

But what does this poll tell us about how Americans view Trump's handling of immigration in his second term?

Yeah, I think something we're seeing here is it's taking a toll maybe on his broader standing.

Maybe this is the overall job approval rating for President Trump in this new poll.

Now, again, keep in mind on this, this is a little bit different here.

We're looking adults, not just registered voters.

It's a little wider net than we usually cast in polling.

But still, I think it captures something here.

39% among all adults is President Trump's job approval rating.

That's one of the lower numbers that you're going to see out here.

That's one of the lower numbers I think you've seen since Trump came back to the White House to start his second term a little bit over a year ago.

And I think that low number there is clearly related to this number.

This is getting into immigration, border security.

Trump's approval rating there, 40% in this poll, that is down from where it was earlier in his presidency.

It's down from where it's been in other polls throughout his presidency.

Remember when Trump came back to the White House and in the 2024 campaign, immigration in the border were relative strengths for him.

And I think that's also exerting, it seems, maybe a broader effect on his overall job approval rating.

And then you look inside that number there on his handling of immigration in the border.

I don't know if it shows up, but I'm circling the 72.

That's basically 3/4, almost 3/4 of independents here in this poll saying they disapprove of how the president is handling border and the immigration.

So and also there, if you, if you looked among independents here too, a large number who have, have shifted not just in opposition, saying they disapprove, they strongly disapprove.

So that depth of opposition there too, I think thickening a little bit to the president on this issue, asking about that issue there then of tactics used by ICE and Border Patrol agents.

Again, wide consensus there, 2/3 in this poll saying those tactics have gone too far.

Again, this conducted really immediately in the wake of the events in Minnesota recently.

And then a question, I think here you showed this at the start of the segment, but

going into that dha, DHS funding fight here, what do you think we're asking folks, do you think should happen here with ice?

The plurality saying reform now, reform, obviously that's a broad answer.

That could mean a lot of different things.

But the, the plurality are basically saying they want to keep it, but they want to change it.

There are 29% here, this is heavily Republican who say keep it in its current form.

And then there's this answer right here, abolish ice.

And you hear that slogan from the political left a lot, 29% here, you know, a little bit less than one third choosing that.

I think what's interesting is a lot of that 29% is coming from Democratic voters.

Almost half of Democratic voters say that what they think should happen to ICE is that it should be abolished.

So as you look at Democrats in Washington navigate that DHS fight, as you look at Democratic candidates in primaries on the campaign trail this year, getting ready for 2020, 28, I think one of the things they're increasingly looking at, we've seen this on a range of issues is their own base is pushing them more and more into sort of maximalist position and confrontation.

And again, half of the Democratic base wants, they say in this poll to abolish ice.

And remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.