Immigration has become one of the top concerns for Americans, especially Republicans, after a record number of people crossed the border illegally last year. A new poll shows that a majority of Americans want to reduce current immigration levels for the first time in nearly 20 years.
New poll reveals shift in public opinion amid record border crossings
The Gallup poll, released Friday, said 55 percent of U.S. adults now want to reduce immigration, up sharply from 41 percent a year ago, and the percentage is the highest since 2001, when 58 percent wanted fewer immigrants, compared with an all-time high of 65 percent set in 1993 and 1995.
In the poll, conducted June 3-23, the percentage of Americans who want to increase immigration dropped to 16 percent, and the percentage who want to keep immigration at current levels also dropped to 25 percent .
Gallup says that since it began polling on immigration in 1965, an average of 42 percent of Americans have favored reducing immigration, 35 percent want to keep it at current levels, and 18 percent want to increase it. A majority had favored reducing immigration in the early to mid-1990s, when California was grappling with an influx of immigrants, and the anti-immigrant spike in 2001 was driven by the events of 9/11.
American attitudes toward immigration have changed dramatically over the past four years. At the end of last year, the number of people crossing the border illegally each month reached record levels, and while the current situation at the border has improved, it is still higher than at most moments before the epidemic.
Diverse views on immigration policies among political parties
While various political groups have different views on immigration, Democrats, Republicans, and independents are all more likely to support reducing immigration than they were a year ago. Republicans are reported to hold this view by 15 points, or 88%; independents by 11 points, or 50%; and Democrats by 10 points, or 28%.
Gallup noted that Republicans and independents are more likely to favor reducing immigration, and Democrats are most likely to favor keeping immigration at current levels.
The latest poll also asked Americans about their views on several immigration-restricting policies. The results show that 76 percent favor the U.S. hiring more Border Patrol agents, and 63 percent favor suspending asylum when the number of immigrants at the border becomes overwhelming. The poll also showed that 53 percent support expanding the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, marking the first time that support for the policy has been more than half.
On the other hand, 70% of U.S. adults favor giving some undocumented visitors a path to citizenship, and 81% of Americans support giving status to those who entered the U.S. illegally as children….
Republicans and Democrats are significantly divided on immigration policy. Of all immigration policies asked, Republicans are most likely to support hiring more border agents and expanding the construction of the border wall, while Democrats are most supportive of giving a pathway to stay in the U.S. to those who entered the country illegally as children.
Notably, an overwhelming majority of Republicans support deportation of all undocumented immigrants in the country, which has increased from 63% in 2019 to 84% today . On the other hand, Republican support for granting undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship fell 24 points, from 70 percent to 46 percent….
The poll likewise shows that a majority of Americans still think immigration is a good thing for the United States, not a bad thing, but the percentage has declined, from a high of 77 percent in 2020 to 64 percent today.
Immigration is a key issue in the November election. Gallup says about a quarter of voters say they will only vote for a candidate who agrees with their position on the issue.