President Trump’s extreme and unpopular immigration agenda has shifted public sentiment and the political landscape. An overwhelming majority of Democrats and independents—along with a growing portion of Republicans—believe the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have gone too far and need to be reined in. President Trump’s approval ratings on immigration, once among his strongest issues, is currently 39 percent.

Despite this prevailing voter sentiment, the Senate appears poised to pass the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), which would grant additional enforcement and surveillance powers to DHS under the guise of cracking down on organized retail theft. Among other provisions, the bill empowers DHS to collect the personal data of anyone suspected of shoplifting and retail theft. 

In a national Vera Action survey conducted May 21st to May 22nd 2026 by YouGov of 1,000 registered voters, we asked voters across the country whether they prefer addressing organized retail theft through an approach centered on local law enforcement or by expanding the Department of Homeland Security’s role.

Overall, 70 percent of voters, including 62 percent of independents and 57 percent of Republicans, preferred local law enforcement to be most responsible to curb organized retail theft, compared to only 17 percent of respondents who wanted to expand ICE’s role to address the problem. 

The data is clear. Voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly oppose expanding ICE’s role in combating retail theft. By voting for this bill, Democrats risk alienating a large majority of voters who want ICE reined in, not empowered. 

Vera Action President and Director Insha Rahman said:  

“Voters are sending a clear message to leaders in Washington: no more power to ICE and DHS. CORCA purports to deal with the very real issue of organized retail theft, but is a clear trojan horse bill that will funnel data to a department that Americans of all stripes are begging to be reined in. 

We’re urging Senators to reject CORCA and have a serious conversation about how to create safety for all in our communities, including enabling local law enforcement to do their jobs effectively.” 

DHS has spent the last year collecting Americans’ sensitive personal data at an alarming rate. Among many sources, it has gained data from Medicaid, the IRS, Social Security, private data brokers, police departments, and tech companies . It has spent millions on intrusive surveillance tools tracking the movements and locations of private citizens, bolstering its massive database. And it has also used that information to surveil protesters and observers—including keeping secret watchlists. CORCA would allow DHS to add consumer data to their ever-expanding surveillance networks. 

Not a single Democrat in Congress crossed over to support the toxic and unpopular DHS funding bill, which gave ICE another $70 billion without any of the safeguards Democrats and voters demanded. That is the principled stance that Democrats should now be taking on CORCA. Vera Action agrees with the notion that something must be done about the serious issue of organized retail theft, but this legislation is not the solution. To curb organized retail theft, we should invest in local law enforcement, provide more resources to businesses, and strengthen regulations and accountability for online resale platforms. We should make it harder for people to resell stolen goods without expanding the power of federal agencies, least of all DHS and ICE.