The most recent Harvard/Harris Poll carried out at the end of October revealed that voters view immigration as the third most important issue currently in the United States. The economy and COVID-19 are the two issues American voters regard as more pressing.
According to the poll, 54% of American voters believe Biden is “creating an open border.” Another 65% said that Biden is incentivizing illegal immigration to the United States.
John Binder of Breitbart News speculated that the poll seems to show a strong majority of voters want the Biden administration to resurrect policies the previous Trump administration passed.
Previous immigration policies include the “Remain in Mexico” policy, a Trump-era policy that compelled asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for U.S. immigration courts to handle their asylum cases. The Biden administration scrapped this policy shortly after taking office in January.
For example, over 70% of voters said unlawful migrants “should be turned back to Mexico,” as “Remain in Mexico” set out. Less than 30% of voters approved of unlawful migrants being released into the U.S. interior while waiting for immigration hearings.
The release of this poll comes at a time when over two million unlawful migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in the Fiscal Year 2021. Binder observed that this is “the highest level of illegal immigration ever in the nation’s history.”
Since January, estimates point to anywhere ranging from 500,000 to 600,000 unlawful migrants being released into the U.S. interior.
“The administration’s open borders policy is an unmitigated disaster,” declared Princeton Policy Advisors analyst Steven Kopits.
Dallas Express has previously covered the growing popularity of Republicans since Joe Biden took office, which many experts believe could translate into electoral victories during the 2022 midterms.
In addition, Dallas Express has highlighted the American public’s growing discontent with the Biden administration, which has featured more relaxed immigration policies compared to the previous Trump administration. The Trump administration was perceived to be tougher on immigration.
Republicans have taken stronger stances on containing unlawful migrants. Additionally, the Texas state government has embarked on pursuing stricter immigration policies, such as Operation Lone Star, to keep unlawful migration in check at a time when many Republican leaders believe the current Biden administration is not doing enough to secure the border.
