Americans are increasingly concerned about illegal immigration. Indeed, they believe that the border crisis is real and that it is not merely an increase in media coverage. When pointing out who was “most responsible for the situation,” they chose the Biden administration, which has witnessed more than 7 million illegal crossings, a number greater than the population of 36 states.
That’s according to a new Axios poll conducted by The Harris Poll on March 29-31, April 5-7, and April 12-14.
According to their findings, 51% of respondents favor a mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a number made up of 42% of Democrats, 46% of independents and 68% of Republicans. In terms of demographics, 45% of Latinos, 40% of African Americans and 56% of whites were in favor.
EXCLUSIVE POLL: Americans are open to Trump's harshest immigration plans.
Half — including 42% of Democrats — say they'd support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, per a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll. https://t.co/fXPKxpGlQj pic.twitter.com/UIWn2SRKn7
— Axios (@axios) April 25, 2024
This idea is closer to Donald Trump’s position than that of the president, who in recent weeks tried to accuse the Republican of being truly responsible for the wave of illegal immigration.
When asked who was “most responsible” for the border crisis, the response that appeared the most was the “Biden administration,” with 32%.
Mark Penn, president of The Harris Poll and former pollster for President Bill Clinton, was shocked by one of the results in particular. “I was surprised by the public support for large-scale deportations. I think they are just sending a message to politicians: “Get this under control,” he said.
He also noted that the White House’s efforts to shift responsibility for the crisis to Trump “are not going to work,” which worries Democrats heading into November.
The border crisis also sparked several concerns among respondents and these are the top three: “rising crime, drug and violence rates,” “additional costs to taxpayers,” and the “risk of terrorism and national security,” in that order.
Finally, the majority of respondents were more than open to legal immigration through formal channels, with 58% of positive responses.
