Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna attended a protest against ICE outside the Super Bowl on Sunday, saying he was demanding “no new funding” for the agency.
Speaking to the LA Times, Khanna was seeking to keep agents from the event. “This is my district and this is a time for elected leaders to be outside with people,” Khanna said.
“I’ve communicated to the NFL and to the administration to keep ICE out, but I think physically being here in the community makes a big difference,” he added.
The Super Bowl is in my district, but I was not in the suites.
I was with activists in my district demanding no new funding for ICE. https://t.co/bcad4NMsEV
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 9, 2026
Khanna was one of 21 Democrats in Congress who had sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rejecting immigration raids at the Super Bowl.
“Having ICE at the Super Bowl would undermine public safety, disrupt communities, and threaten the peaceful enjoyment this event should bring to the region and the nation,” read a passage of the letter.
Univision also reported that a group of activists handed thousands of towels that read “ICE OUT” to attendants.
Public disapproval of ICE has been rising steadily over the past weeks, especially since the fatal shooting of nurse Alex Pretti in January, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.
A Quinnipiac University survey found that 63 percent disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 34 percent approve. That marks an increase in disapproval from a January poll by the same institution, when 57 percent disapproved and 40 percent approved.
The survey also found that 61 percent of voters believe the administration has not given an honest account of the Pretti shooting, compared with 25 percent who think it has. Eighty percent said there should be an independent investigation into the incident, and 62 percent said the shooting was not justified, while 22 percent said it was justified.
Asked about recent ICE-involved shootings in Minneapolis, 59 percent said they are a sign of broader problems in how the agency operates, while 32 percent called them isolated incidents. Sixty percent of respondents said ICE should withdraw from Minneapolis, while 36 percent said operations there should continue.
Originally published on Latin Times
