Although high inflation remains at the front of many voters’ minds ahead of the presidential election, immigration has surpassed the economy as the most important issue to millions of voters amid an ongoing border crisis.
POLL: 67% of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of immigration — as millions of unvetted illegals flow across the border and into U.S. communities. pic.twitter.com/LsE6QU1M2n
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 28, 2024
According to a new survey conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, nearly two-thirds of respondents shared their belief that more border patrol agents should be hired to address the unprecedented level of illegal immigration brought on by President Joe Biden’s policies. Nearly three-fifths favored hiring more judges and a clear majority said the U.S. government should impose new limits on the nation’s asylum provisions.
While the idea of building a border wall was somewhat more divisive, it still drew support from 42% of respondents overall. By a margin of 77% to 12%, Republicans were far more receptive to such a plan than Democrats.
Digging deeper into public sentiment regarding Biden’s performance on the issue revealed bad news for the incumbent president’s re-election bid.
“Overall, 68% disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling immigration and 31% approve,” pollsters determined.
Only a slight majority — 56% — of those in his own party signaled their approval of his immigration policies.
The report further found that about half of those polled say the president and Democratic lawmakers are to blame for the southern border crisis.
A recent Gallup poll provided even more context regarding the seriousness with which many voters treat the issue of illegal immigration. In the span of one year, the number of respondents who said they worried “a great deal” about the repercussions of unchecked migration rose from 41% to 48%.
Similarly, the percentage of people who said they were concerned about a potential terrorist attack stemming from illegal immigration jumped seven points, from 36% in March 2023 to 43% in the latest survey.
In February, Gallup pollsters found that Biden’s overall job approval rating stood at 38%, which is particularly low for an incumbent presidential candidate by historical standards but still higher than his approval rating on the issue of immigration — as well as a few other issues, including the economy and foreign affairs.
