Americans’ support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration’s immigration policies has declined following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis, with most voters doubting the administration’s account of the incident, according to a new poll.

About six in ten voters said they do not believe the administration has been honest about Pretti’s shooting, while 25% said it has and 14% said they had no opinion, the Quinnipiac University survey found.

Video footage released after the shooting contradicts the official account, showing Pretti holding a cellphone before being pepper-sprayed and pushed down, and agents taking his legally owned gun shortly before he was shot.

More than three-quarters of voters surveyed said they had seen the video, while the poll showed a sharp partisan divide: 94% of Democrats said the shooting was unjustified, compared with 55% of Republicans who said it was justified.

Eight out of ten voters said the shooting should be investigated independently.

The poll found that 59% of voters, including most Democrats and independents, view the shooting as part of broader problems in ICE’s operations.

Around six in 10 voters said the Trump administration’s approach to undocumented migrants is “too harsh,” while just under one-third said it is about right and 7% said it is “too lenient.”

The poll also showed strong support for reforms, with 92% of voters saying federal immigration agents should wear body cameras and 61% opposing the use of masks or face coverings.

In addition, 60% of voters said ICE should withdraw from Minnesota, while 36% — including 77% of Republicans — favored continuing operations. (AA)

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