CNN Analyst Points to Polling 'Disaster' as Trump Deploys Border Czar to Minnesota Protests
CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, stated on Monday that he is "not really surprised" by President Donald Trump's decision to send border czar Tom Homan to address the escalating protests in Minnesota against immigration enforcement actions. Enten suggested that the move reflects the severely diminished political standing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose leadership has coincided with a dramatic decline in public approval for immigration agencies.
Plummeting Poll Numbers for ICE and DHS Under Noem's Watch
During an interview with "News Central" anchor Kate Bolduan, Enten described the situation as a "political disaster" in polling for ICE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Secretary Noem herself. He provided detailed data to illustrate the stark downturn.
For ICE, Enten noted that its net approval rating was "pretty even at zero points" during Trump's first term. However, it plunged to -17 points by June 2025, a period marked by significant events in Los Angeles. Following the protests in Minneapolis, the rating has deteriorated even further, now standing at a concerning -27 points on the net approval scale.
For the DHS overall, the story is remarkably similar. Enten reported that its approval rating was a robust 59% during the first Trump term, which he characterized as "pretty gosh darn good." Under the current administration, that figure has tumbled to approximately 42%, indicating a substantial loss of public confidence.
A Consistent Pattern of Negative Public Sentiment
Enten emphasized that this decline is not an isolated phenomenon but a consistent trend across various polls. "It's the same story we're seeing no matter which poll question we look at," he stated. The analyst directly linked the plummeting numbers to the administration's enforcement actions in major urban centers.
"The popularity of ICE, of DHS, has completely fallen under the second Trump term," Enten continued. "All the actions in Minneapolis, in Los Angeles, in these major American cities, have been very much rejected by the American people. It has been a political disaster for the second Trump administration."
Focus on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's Unpopularity
The analyst specifically highlighted Secretary Kristi Noem's role in this downturn. He pointed out that she "has not been popular in everything she's done" and that "every single poll that has been conducted on Kristi Noem's popularity, every single one on the net approval has been negative." This pervasive negative polling, Enten implied, made her a less viable public figure to manage the sensitive Minnesota situation, prompting the deployment of Border Czar Tom Homan instead.
Enten's analysis underscores a significant public relations and political challenge for the Trump administration regarding its immigration policies and the leadership of its key homeland security officials. The decision to send Homan appears to be a strategic move amid what the data suggests is a deepening crisis of public approval.
