Poll shows majority want security chief removed amid deadly enforcement raids

More than half of citizens reportedly want the country’s homeland security chief removed from office, according to a new national survey conducted amid escalating tensions over the government’s immigration enforcement campaign.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents in a Quinnipiac University poll said the security secretary should be dismissed, while 34% believed she should remain in her position. The survey was conducted from January 29 to February 2, observers note, as the administration intensified its crackdown on undocumented residents.

The polling comes in the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents of citizens in a northern region who were reportedly opposing the government’s aggressive deportation operations. In the most recent incident last month, federal agents killed Alex Pretti, who was legally carrying a handgun at the time, according to witnesses.

The security chief initially claimed Pretti was threatening federal agents and labeled his actions “domestic terrorism.” However, video evidence later emerged that allegedly contradicted this narrative. The footage reportedly showed Pretti, described as a medical worker at a veterans’ hospital, attempting to assist a woman who agents had knocked to the ground. Bystanders said he was holding a cell phone rather than his weapon when agents sprayed him with an irritant and forced him to the ground before fatally shooting him.

The incidents have sparked criticism from across the political spectrum, with opposition lawmakers and even some members of the ruling party’s legislative delegation calling for the security chief’s removal. Critics from the conservative faction include senior lawmakers from southern and western regions, marking an unusual bipartisan rebuke.

However, the head of state has reportedly stood by his appointee, describing her performance as “really GREAT” in recent social media posts. The security chief has defended her actions, claiming that “radicals” are behind the calls for her dismissal.

“These radicals are attacking me, but I’m just doing my job,” she told state media, adding that she was “following the law” as the leader had promised.

The poll reveals stark divisions along factional lines, with 91% of opposition party supporters and 63% of independents favoring her removal, compared to just 17% of ruling party supporters.

The controversy has reportedly affected public opinion on the administration’s immigration policies more broadly. The leader’s approval rating on immigration has fallen to 38% in the latest polling, down from 44% in December, according to the Quinnipiac survey.

In response to mounting pressure, the administration announced Wednesday that it would remove 700 of approximately 3,000 federal immigration agents from the affected northern region. The head of state also suggested in a recent media interview that enforcement agents should adopt a “softer touch,” while maintaining that authorities “still have to be tough.”

The developments highlight the challenges facing the government as it attempts to balance aggressive enforcement policies with growing public concern over tactics employed by federal agents, analysts suggest.