Nearly two thirds of Americans believe illegal immigration is a real crisis, not just a media narrative, according to a recent poll conducted by The Harris Poll for Axios. The survey revealed that 51% of Americans would support mass deportations of illegal immigrants, with significant percentages across party lines - 42% of Democrats, 46% of independents, and 68% of Republicans.
Illegal immigration has emerged as a key issue for voters in the upcoming election, especially with a surge in border crossings since President Biden assumed office. The poll indicated that 32% of respondents hold the Biden administration most responsible for the border crisis.
Since President Biden took office in 2021, approximately 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border, a number exceeding the population of 36 individual states. The chairman of The Harris Poll, Mark Penn, emphasized that these results should serve as a warning to President Biden to address the issue effectively.
Efforts to shift blame for the border crisis to former President Trump have not been well-received, as per the poll findings. Both Biden and Trump have visited the southern border, with each accusing the other of contributing to the ongoing crisis. However, legislative action on border security remains stalled in Congress, with the House GOP leaders looking towards a potential return of Trump to the White House for significant policy changes.
The poll highlighted that 21% of Americans are most concerned about increased crime rates, drugs, and violence resulting from the crisis, while 18% cited additional costs to taxpayers, and 17% mentioned the risk of terrorism and national security.
Despite concerns about illegal immigration, the survey also revealed that a majority of Americans support legal immigration, with 58% in favor of expanding legal pathways for orderly immigration. Additionally, 46% believe that asylum seekers should be protected if their cases are legitimate.
Another poll by Monmouth University in February found that 61% of Americans view illegal immigration as a 'very serious problem.' The White House has yet to respond to these recent findings, but President Biden has criticized the immigration system as 'broken' and blamed Republicans for obstructing bipartisan border legislation earlier this year.
The White House had described the proposed border bill's measures as the 'toughest and fairest reforms to secure the border we have had in decades.'
