Half of Americans – including 42% of Democrats – say they would support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to a new Axios Vibes survey conducted by The Harris Poll.
And 30% of Democrats – as well as 46% of Republicans – say they would end birthright citizenship, something guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
It seems that Americans are open to the strict immigration plans of former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump, spurred by a record increase in illegal crossings at the southern border of the country.
President and reelection candidate Joe Biden is well aware that the immigration crisis threatens his reelection. Perhaps, the biggest threat of this presidential race. He has tried to flip the script, accusing Trump of sabotaging the bipartisan immigration reform plan supported by Congress a few years ago. But the excuse is not sticking.
Biden has so far failed to change the narrative: 32% of respondents say that his administration is “the most responsible” for the crisis, surpassing any other political or structural factor.
Moreover, nearly two-thirds of Americans say that illegal immigration is a real crisis and not a politically motivated media narrative.
Trump, in his campaign for the White House, promises to carry out the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
Americans typically do not support deporting immigrants who have put down roots in the U.S. But the survey conducted with 6,251 adult Americans suggests that the dynamics may be shifting amid rising fears about crime and violence.
And Trump has been fueling these fears at every opportunity, campaigning based on false claims of a “wave of crimes committed by migrants” and declaring that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
It is worth noting
When asked about their biggest concern regarding illegal immigration, Americans most frequently cited:
• Increased crime, drugs, and violence rates (21%).
• Additional costs to taxpayers (18%).
• Risk of terrorism and national security (17%).
The survey found discrepancies between Americans’ perceptions of immigration and the reality established by data.
• 64% mistakenly believe that immigrants receive more in social assistance and benefits than they pay in taxes.
• 56% mistakenly believe that illegal immigration is linked to rising crime rates in the U.S.
Individual cases of violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants often make headlines. But data does not show that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes.
• Border cities have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the country.
• Data also shows that undocumented immigrants have lower homicide conviction rates than the general public.
The survey also revealed that Americans strongly support immigration, as long as it is legal. “Illegal” immigration is what is making people anxious.
• 58% say they support expanding legal pathways for orderly immigration, while 46% say that asylum seekers should be protected if their cases are legitimate.
• 68% say that illegal immigration causes major problems in communities, while only 27% say the same about legal immigration.
• And 65% of Americans believe that the U.S. should facilitate the legal entry of anyone seeking a better life, so they do not have to enter illegally.
The key point that the survey suggests is that people would accept the expansion of legal immigration if they saw that there is greater enforcement at the border.
This is not completely out of the question for Biden.
Source: Axios