Americans are showing increased concern over immigration, Axios reports.
A new poll by Gallup shows that more Americans want less immigration.
The polling says that the share of Americans who want less immigration has spiked since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Just 28 percent of Americans say they’re satisfied with immigration levels in the U.S.
It marks the lowest reading in a decade, though not the least satisfied Americans have been on this issue over the past 23 years.
Gallup measures Americans’ satisfaction with the level of U.S. immigration and numerous other issues each January as part of its annual Mood of the Nation survey.
Nearly two-thirds of the dissatisfied want less immigration.
The survey sheds light on why Congressional Republicans have made a point of attacking Biden’s border policies, and how the focus on the border could be resonating with some voters.
Satisfaction with immigration was at its lowest in 2007 and 2008, at 23 percent and 24 percent.
It was at its highest in 2017 and 2018, reaching 40 to 41 percent.
The rise in Americans’ concern about immigration levels is likely tied to the record numbers of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border the past two years, according to Gallup.
The recent shift in U.S. attitudes no doubt reflects the situation at the Southern border, where the U.S. government reported a fourfold annual increase in migrants attempting to enter the U.S. in 2021, with the figure rising to 1.7 million.
More than 2 million such migrant encounters occurred in 2022. And the Department of Homeland Security estimates the figure could double if a pandemic-era policy allowing border agents to expel migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum is revoked.
Republicans hope to keep driving the news on the issue. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will make his first trip to the border as a speaker on Thursday, where he will visit Arizona with Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oreg.), Jen Kiggans (R-Virg.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.)
Top committees probing the so-called border crisis are also expected to fly members down to the border for visits and hearings in the coming weeks.
Be the first to comment