A record-high number of Americans see large numbers of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. as a “critical threat” to U.S. interests, according to a new poll published Tuesday.
The Gallup poll found that 55% of U.S. adults say that “large numbers of immigrants entering the United States illegally” are a “critical threat” to U.S. vital interests. That is up 8% from 2023 and higher than the previous high of 50% in 2004.
Of those polled, 31% said large numbers of immigrants entering illegally is an “important” threat while 14% said it was not important.
BIDEN ADMIN WEIGHS EXECUTIVE ACTION ON BORDER CRISIS, DRAWING FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT
The country is now in the third year of a historic border crisis. The record for yearly encounters at the southern border was broken last fiscal year when more than 2.4 million migrants were encountered at the border. The monthly record for encounters was set in December when there were more than 300,000 encounters for the first time.
In the poll, 28% of Americans say immigration is the most important problem facing the U.S., sharply higher than in January when the number was 20%. The polling highlights immigration as the most-named problem, above government (20%), the economy (12%) and inflation (11%).
That 28% essentially ties the 27% recorded in July 2019 as the highest since Gallup began polling mentions of immigration in 1981.
The poll was conducted between Feb. 1 and Feb. 20, based on a sample of 1,016 adults via telephone interviews. It comes as immigration remains in the spotlight due to a debate in Congress over a supplemental border funding bill, which stalled amid opposition from Republicans and some Democrats, and the continued impact the migrant crisis is having on cities and states across the country.
Republicans have blamed the crisis on the policies of the administration, including the rollback of Trump-era policies like border wall construction and the Remain in Mexico policy. The administration and Democrats have instead blamed Republicans for failing to approve funding and a comprehensive immigration reform bill to fix a broken system.
7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES
The Senate bill would have increased personnel at the border, provided additional funding and imposed some limits on migrant releases into the U.S., but conservatives warned that it would normalize an already high level of illegal immigration.
The polling comes just days after it was revealed that the suspect charged in connection with the murder of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is an illegal immigrant originally from Venezuela.
Meanwhile, as Congress continues to struggle to find legislation it can pass and send to the president’s desk, Gallup finds its approval rating has fallen to 12%, just a few points higher than the all-time low of 9% in November 2023.
