Since 2021, the number of Hispanics who support building a border wall and toughening immigration policies has grown. The percentage of Latinos who say they support building and deporting all undocumented immigrants has increased at least 10 points since 2021, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in association with Telemundo News.
Meanwhile, the study explained that 42% of Latino adults surveyed said they support building a wall or fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. That's a 12-point jump from December 2021.
Thirty-eight percent support sending all undocumented immigrants back to their country of origin, up from 28% in 2021. In addition, 64% of Latinos said they support giving the president the authority to close the borders if there are too many immigrants trying to enter the country.
Hispanics prefer Trump to tackle immigration
Immigration is the third most important issue among Hispanics in this election year. It is behind inflation and crime. However, 59% support allowing refugees fleeing crime and violence in Latin America to apply for asylum. In that regard, support for building a wall was strongest among Cuban Americans (58%).
The survey also addresses Hispanics' political opinions. For example, the survey found that Latinos tend to prefer Donald Trump when it comes to the economy, crime and immigration. Similarly, the study explained that Biden's lead over Trump among all Latinos has fallen from 29 points after Biden's first year in office (53-24) to just 9 points (41-32). Biden's lead shrinks further (to 3 points) among Latinos who said they plan to vote in November.
Latinos gave Trump a 22-point edge over Biden when it comes to dealing with the economy, and an 11-point edge on fighting crime. Trump is showing improvement among Latinos even though 52% of survey respondents said they worry that a mass deportation effort like what he's proposed would target all Latinos, regardless of immigration status.
