Brussels – In the end, US President Donald Trump is paying the price for his hard line on immigration: his approval ratings have been in free fall since the beginning of 2026, following the killing in Minneapolis of two American citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, by federal immigration agents (ICE). NBC News has highlighted the White House occupant’s very personal crisis, publishing a poll by SurveyMonkey showing that 49 per cent of Americans surveyed disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration. The events in Minneapolis also end up in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where, however, the list of non-participants takes centre stage, with the Popular Party deserting the chamber: “I am disappointed by the absence of the EPP in this debate, which in doing so is aligning itself with the radical right,” commented Ana Caterina Mendes, vice-president of the European Socialists (S&D) group and promoter of the discussion.
Minneapolis is not just a city, but “a symbol of the open wound of a system that fails to guarantee equality before the law,” says S&D Vice-President Mendes. “The city is a warning to us all: democracy can rot from within, and there are enemies of democracy in this Parliament; it is deplorable that democratic forces are not with us in defending human rights,” continues Mendes, referring to the absence of the European People’s Party.
Representing the European Commission was the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, demonstrating the EU executive’s attention to the issue, which chose the third row to address it. Kadis, however, assured that the events in Minneapolis “have caused great concern in Europe.” After the censure came the attack: “We deplore the loss of life in Minneapolis and are confident that the American judicial system and law enforcement agencies will take steps to ensure that justice is done.” At the same time, Kadis points out that “the rule of law cannot be called into question,” and therefore “the EU will continue to engage with the US on issues of concern, because that is what partners do.”
The debate in the European Parliament has also become a battleground for national politics, with the focus on the arrival of the ICE in Italy for the Winter Olympics. The head of the Fratelli d’Italia delegation, Carlo Fidanza, attacked: “In recent days, the left has gone so far as to denounce the arrival of the ICE in Milan, evoking a sort of armed invasion, deportations of immigrants and other similar lies. In this way, you have ended up setting fire to the places of hatred.” The response came from Green Party MEP Benedetta Scuderi: “We call the United States our ally, but ICE is a fascist squadron that operates without rules in the service of Trump and his authoritarian drift.” She adds that this is the same “ICE that we have accepted in our own country, in Milan, and that far-right propaganda would like to normalise here too.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Americans’ distrust of Trump’s handling of immigration is growing. Dissatisfaction with Trump’s border security and immigration policies has risen from 34 per cent last April to 49 per cent in 2026. The overall approval rating of the current administration stands at 39 per cent.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
