Last night on MS NOW’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Lawrence O’Donnell argued that a majority of Americans believe ICE immigration enforcement is making cities and the USA less safe. He based that claim on polling conducted after the Renee Good shooting and used it to attack President Trump, Stephen Miller, and anyone who supports immigration enforcement. This portion of his monologue framed his entire argument:
“Donald Trump and the section of his brain called Stephen Miller believe that America wants a violent crackdown on Americans, but polls prove they are wrong. A new CNN poll shows that only 26% of Americans say the killing of Renee Good last week by ICE agent Jonathan Ross was an appropriate use of force. Only 26% think what Donald Trump and James David Vance are telling them to think about that killing. A substantial majority thinks the killing of Renee Good was an inappropriate use of force. Fifty-six percent of Americans say that Jonathan Ross’s decision to shoot and kill Renee Good was an inappropriate use of force, and those 56% of Americans are completely right, of course. Those 56% of Americans believe what they see with their own eyes, not what Donald Trump and JD Vance tell them to see. Fifty-one percent say that the killing of Renee Good reflects bigger problems with the way ICE is operating. A majority of Americans say that ICE enforcement actions are making the country less safe. Fifty-one percent say that ICE enforcement actions are making cities less safe. Only 31% think that ICE enforcement actions are making cities safer, as Donald Trump insists.”
That is the foundation of O’Donnell’s claim: that polling proves a majority of Americans believe ICE is making our cities less safe. That conclusion could not be more wrong.
Anyone who genuinely believes ICE makes cities less safe has absorbed years of media conditioning and ignored reality. When enforcing the law, removing people who are in the United States illegally, and securing the border are portrayed as making cities less safe, that isn’t truth — it’s the result of sustained propaganda.
ICE enforcement actions prevent Americans from being murdered, raped, robbed, assaulted, and victimized by illegal aliens every single day, in every state. Countless lives have been saved because President Trump secured the U.S. border and prioritized deporting people who are in this country illegally — especially criminals, gang members, traffickers, and repeat offenders.
Polls taken immediately after a tragic, highly politicized incident do not measure public-safety reality. They measure emotional reactions shaped by nonstop media framing. They do not reflect what actually keeps communities safe over time, nor do they account for how law-enforcement decisions are made in real-world, split-second situations where hesitation can cost lives.
Most people responding to these surveys have never been in the position of a trained federal officer confronting a rapidly unfolding threat. They have never dealt with violent smugglers, cartel operatives, repeat offenders, or crowds full of criminals intentionally obstructing ICE operations. They have never faced activists deliberately interfering with arrests, swarming enforcement scenes, blocking access points, shouting commands, encouraging suspects to flee, or using their vehicles to intimidate, block, or drive toward federal agents — actions that are not only dangerous but can constitute criminal obstruction of a federal law-enforcement operation. Judging use-of-force decisions after the fact — from a couch, with selective video clips and media commentary — is not the same thing as making split-second decisions in the middle of an active federal operation, where hesitation can get someone seriously injured or killed.
It also matters who is being polled. Pollsters themselves openly acknowledge that Democrats and left-leaning respondents are far more likely to participate in phone and online surveys, while conservatives and Republicans are less likely to respond. That skews results, especially on immigration and enforcement issues. Treating these numbers as definitive proof of “what Americans believe” ignores a well-documented polling imbalance and falsely presents a partisan snapshot as national consensus.
ICE exists to enforce federal immigration law, secure the border, and remove people who are in the United States illegally — including criminals, traffickers, and gang members. That mission saves lives every single day. Every illegal alien deported is a future crime potentially prevented. Every smuggling route disrupted reduces drugs, human trafficking, sexual assault, robbery, and violence. Every ICE enforcement action strengthens the rule of law and protects Americans — children, women, men, transwomen, and transmen — as well as legal immigrants and even foreign nationals who enter the country illegally and are often exploited by criminal networks. That is what real public safety looks like, regardless of CNN polling or Lawrence O’Donnell’s claims.
The idea that ICE enforcing immigration laws makes cities less safe turns reality upside down. What actually makes cities less safe is open borders, catch-and-release policies, and the refusal to deport people who are in this country illegally. Illegal immigration does not create safety. Weak enforcement of immigration laws does not protect communities.
ICE makes America safer. Strong borders make America safer. Enforcing the law makes America safer. That reality does not change just because a cable-news host waves around polls and tells viewers what they are supposed to think.
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