Chicagoans overwhelmingly opposed last fall’s federal immigration crackdown and the aggressive tactics used to carry it out, and amid President Donald Trump’s deep unpopularity among city residents, most residents are concerned he will deploy federal agents near polling places in November, a new poll shows.

The Suffolk University/Chicago Tribune survey of 500 adult city residents, conducted April 11-15, found a sizable majority saying there was no need for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and members of Customs and Border Protection to return to the city. But they were more closely divided over whether the city should keep its “sanctuary status” for immigrants if it would mean a loss of federal dollars. Conducted by David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, the poll carries an overall margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

Three-quarters of city residents said they strongly or somewhat disapproved of the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement program last fall, including two-thirds who said they strongly disapproved. Fewer than 1 in 5 Chicagoans said they supported the operation, and only 10% strongly approved.

A Tribune analysis last month found roughly 3,800 people were detained and nearly 2,500 immigrants were deported during the operation, most of them with no criminal record despite Trump’s vow that the operation targeted “the worst of the worst” criminals in the country illegally.

The poll found opposition to Operation Midway Blitz from 72% of white respondents, 68% of Latinos and 63% of Black residents, as well as 88% of those who said they were Democrats and 57% of those who call themselves independents. Of the 14% of city residents who said they voted for Trump in 2020 and the 9% of residents who called themselves Republicans, 82% supported Operation Midway Blitz, with 56% of Trump voters and 59% of Republicans saying they “strongly” backed the operation.

Amid chaotic scenes of masked immigration agents roaming neighborhood streets as protesters blew warning whistles, the operation led to two shootings by agents, including the fatal shooting in Franklin Park of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in September. A total of 82% of city residents polled said they disapproved of the tactics of federal immigration enforcers, with 73% strongly disapproving.

Strong disapproval of the tactics crossed demographic lines. The poll found more than 72% of whites, Blacks and Latinos strongly disapproved of ICE and CBP tactics, as did 70% of residents citywide, 92% of Democrats, 68% of independents and 62% of those with a household member who works in public safety. Among the small set of Trump voters, 66% approved of agents’ tactics, with 44% strongly supporting them.

As Operation Midway Blitz began to wind down in the Chicago area last November, federal immigration agents launched a new and deadly surge of enforcement in Minneapolis in December and earlier this year. But the high-profile show of force came to an end following the January shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Ultimately, Trump fired Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary. And Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, the controversial head of aggressive enforcement activities in Chicago and Minneapolis, resigned from the agency. Immigration enforcement activities are continuing nationwide, but have been less visible.

Overall, 72% of Chicago residents who responded to the poll said they saw no need for agents to return to the city to resume immigration enforcement efforts, while 22% said ICE and CBP should return. A total of 71% of white residents and more than 60% of Black and Latino respondents agreed that they did not want immigration enforcement actions to return. Roughly 60% of Trump voters and Republicans said they wanted the operations to resume.

But many city residents are worried the agents will return in a different context: operating near polling places for the Nov. 3 election.

The poll found 64% of Chicagoans said they are concerned agents will reemerge around the general election, while 31% said they don’t share that concern. Among Democrats and independents, more than 6 in 10 residents said they are concerned about agents at polling sites, as are 74% of whites, and 67% of Blacks and Latinos. More than 7 in 10 Republicans and 2020 Trump voters say they aren’t concerned.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, an ardent critic of the Republican president, has consistently warned that Trump was trying to normalize the use of federal law enforcement in Democratic cities as part of plans to deploy immigration or National Guard members near polling places to intimidate voters as Republicans try to keep control of Congress in the midterms.

In February, the White House said Trump had not discussed any plans to deploy federal immigration agents to polling places. But Steve Bannon, a close Trump ally, has repeatedly pushed for their deployment and called the recent use of ICE agents at the nation’s airports during a stalemate over funding the Transportation Security Administration a “test run” for “ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterms.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said during his Senate confirmation hearing that ICE agents could be deployed to polling places if a “specific threat” existed.

While the poll did not identify how many respondents were registered to vote, it is likely that the sentiments of city residents in the deeply Democratic city will be reflected at the polls. Trump’s name won’t be on the ballot, but Democrats have used his controversial positions and policies to motivate voters, while GOP voters in early contests have shown little sign of mobilizing a large-turnout surge to help him.

Pritzker’s warnings about potential Trump-ordered interference at the polls may resonate with Chicago residents. The two-term governor, who is seeking a third term in November while pondering a potential 2028 White House bid, is viewed favorably by 68% of Chicagoans and unfavorably by 20%.

He draws favorable ratings from 88% of Democrats, 63% of independents, 74% of white and Black residents and 61% of Latinos.

Trump, by contrast, is viewed favorably by only 14% of Chicago residents, while 80% have an unfavorable opinion of the president. More than three-quarters of independent voters view him unfavorably, while 70% of Republicans view him favorably. Still, 18% of self-identified Republicans had an unfavorable view of the president, as did 24% of those who say they voted for him in 2020.

Despite their overwhelming opposition to Trump and his immigration enforcement actions, residents were more closely split when it came to Chicago’s “sanctuary city” status for immigrants.

When asked whether Mayor Brandon Johnson should keep Chicago’s sanctuary status if it meant losing federal dollars, 40% said they would support ending the immigrant protections, while 50% said they would want to keep them.

White residents favored retaining “sanctuary city” status despite a potential loss of federal funding by 55% to 35%, similar to Latino residents at 54% to 39%. But among Black residents, 48% said the city should end “sanctuary” status to avoid a loss of federal funding, while 44% said it should be kept.

Trump has repeatedly issued executive orders and threatened to withhold federal money from sanctuary cities and states that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. But federal courts have routinely rejected the administration’s efforts in challenges brought by states.

In one case last August, a federal court found that the Illinois TRUST Act, which generally prohibits state law enforcement from working with federal immigration agents unless they have a judicially issued warrant, was constitutional. It found that immigration enforcement is the federal government’s responsibility and that cutting federal funding to require local cooperation violates constitutional protections for state sovereignty.

This survey of 500 residents of the city of Chicago was conducted by David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, from April 11 to April 15, 2026, and is based on live telephone interviews of adults 18 years of age or older, residing in all 50 wards in the city of Chicago. Quota and demographic information — including region, race and age — were determined from census and American Community Survey data. Surveys were administered in English and Spanish. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. All surveys may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.