Americans are overwhelmingly concerned with the Biden administration's management of the border. 80% believe that the president is doing a poor job to stop the avalanche of immigrants from entering the country, something that 94% of Americans consider to be a problem. 32% think it a big problem and 45% call it a crisis. Furthermore, 84% believe that the president’s immigration policy is producing a domino effect by making migrants believe that it will be easy for them to stay in the country once they manage to get in. On the other hand, the majority (57%) believe that the massive arrival of undocumented people entering the country causes an increase in crime.
78% of Americans say the large number of migrants seeking to enter this country at the U.S.-Mexico border is either a crisis (45%) or a major problem (32%). Republicans are much more likely to call it a “crisis,” while more Democrats say "major problem". https://t.co/v2mcUXyVvC pic.twitter.com/lS9tHMpyYe
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) February 16, 2024
Most Democrats aren’t pleased with Biden
These are the main results of a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. The study indicated that Democrats give the government negative ratings (73%) for Biden's border management. Furthermore, Democrats’ perception of the president worsened from the time Biden took office until 2023. In 2021, 56% were dissatisfied with the situation on the southern border. That number rose to 62% in 2022 and increased by 11 points to 73% last year. Almost half of those surveyed (49%) believe that the administration's work is "bad" compared to 23% who see it as "very bad."
Among Republicans, the situation is even more serious. 89% of Republicans disapprove of the president’s management of the border. In this case, the ratings have been getting worse, although much more moderately than among Democrats. In 2021, 86% of GOP supporters were concerned about Biden’s immigration policy. That number rose to 87% in 2022. In 2023, the majority (71%) of conservatives believed that the administration's work in this field was "very bad," compared to 18% who believed it was "bad.”
The arrival of migrants between "crisis" and "big problem"
Americans’ perception of the situation is also very negative. 94% of those surveyed, regardless of their party, said that the massive arrival of immigrants is "a problem." Most Americans (45%) call it a "crisis," while 32% consider it a "big problem." Among Democratic voters, the majority think it is a "big problem" (44%), with 22% stating that we are facing a "crisis." Among conservatives, 70% think it is a "crisis" and 20% believe it is a "big problem."
In addition, 84% blame the Biden administration's "catch and release" policy of making migrants believe that once they enter the country it will be easy for them to stay there. The majority of Democratic voters agree. They believe that Alejandro Mayorkas' management promotes this belief (39%). Among Republicans, the numbers are much higher: 76% see it as a "big reason" and 16% as a "minor reason."
Fear of the consequences of mass immigration
Americans believe that mass immigration has negative consequences for the country. The majority of respondents (57%) believe that the huge number of people trying to get into the country leads to more crime. Furthermore, the economic consequences is one of Americans’ main concerns (22%), followed by fear of security issues (22%). When it comes to the economic consequences, Americans are concerned about the cost of maintaining them (15%), with 3% concerned that they take away jobs from Americans.
When asked specifically about the impact of the migrant influx on crime in the U.S., a majority of Americans (57%) say the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime. Fewer (39%) say this does not have much of an impact on crime in this country.
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) February 16, 2024
