DHS changing immigration enforcement tactics amid negative polling

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to change its tactics in immigration enforcement operations, moving away from sweeping raids that have been publicized in some cities across the country. DHS sources told NewsNation’s Ali Bradley that U.S. Border Patrol teams under Commander Gregory Bovino will narrow their focus to specific targets, such as immigrants in the country illegally who have been convicted of serious crimes. The change will see agents not necessarily carrying out larger raids that have taken place at locations such as Home Depot, according to Bradley’s exclusive report. Agents will also focus on traffic stop enforcement, according to the reporting on NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. But it’s unlikely that onlookers will see Border Patrol grabbing people off the streets, Bradley said Friday night on NewsNation’s “The Hill” with Blake Burman. The change in tactics comes amid a stretch of negative polling for President Trump over his immigration crackdown — a key part of his 2024 campaign platform and agenda during his second term. A survey released earlier this week by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that approval of Trump’s handling of immigration had dropped from 42 percent to 33 percent since March. In November, a YouGov poll revealed that a majority of Americans specifically disapproved of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations launched as part of the administration’s mass deportation efforts. About half of immigrants surveyed by the health policy research group KFF and The New York Times last month said they and their family members “feel less safe” with Trump back in the White House. Border Patrol’s immigration enforcement operations have been visible across several states this year, including in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. Many raids have been met with protests and, in some cases, clashes with agents. The operations have also been criticized as going too far. Bradley reported Friday that a recently launched operation in New Orleans, named “Catahoula Crunch,” will persist despite the change in tactics. There have already been more than 250 arrests in the Louisiana city, with DHS saying its end goal is 5,000, according to Bradley.