The NPR Politics Podcast ICE makes these swing voters anxious, but they don’t want to ‘abolish ICE’
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Feb 11, 2026 Reporters sit in on Arizona swing voter focus groups wrestling with immigration enforcement and ICE tactics. Voters describe fear and changed behavior after local enforcement actions. Many oppose abolishing ICE but want stricter limits like warrants and body cams. Economic worries around groceries, housing, health care and job security also weigh heavily on their minds.
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Visible ICE Tactics Drive Voter Anxiety
- Arizona swing voters feel anxious because ICE tactics are visible in their neighborhoods.
- They support border enforcement but dislike in-your-face raids and lack of uniforms that target residents and protesters.
Elderly Residents Felt Targeted
- A 55+ community resident said agents were trying to find Asian people to deport, terrifying elderly neighbors.
- That person and others said if you're not here legally you should leave, but they object to frightening tactics.
Living With The Fear Of Being Stopped
- A Nigerian-born woman described carrying her passport because she feared being mistaken for undocumented.
- She and others reported friends or neighbors arrested, making immigration enforcement a lived fear.