The share of Americans wanting less immigration has spiked across the board since President Biden took office in 2021, according to a new Gallup survey.
Why it matters: Just 28% of Americans say they’re satisfied with immigration levels in the U.S. — the lowest in a decade. Nearly 2/3 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.
Driving the news: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will make his first trip to the border as speaker on Thursday — visiting Arizona with Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oreg.), Jen Kiggans (R-Virg.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.)
It will come one day after the 118th Congress’s first field hearing at the border — held by two Energy and Commerce subcommittees in McAllen, Texas.
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.
Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) is leading what he has called a “border bootcamp” for House GOP freshmen next week in El Paso, according to a committee aide.
There has been a general push for committees to hold hearings in the field, one House GOP aide familiar with discussions on the topic told Axios.
The big picture: Satisfaction with immigration levels hit a high of 41% in 2017 and a low of 23% in 2008 over the past 23 years Gallup has been measuring.
While the share of Independents and Democrats wanting less immigration has spiked in recent years, that viewpoint among Independents and Democrats generally has trended down since the years following 9/11.
More than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration levels or want it increased.
Between the lines: 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.
Since Biden came into office, he has struggled to get a handle on unprecedented levels of migration throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The administration finally has good news with illegal border crossings plummeting in January after the rollout of new carrot-and-stick border policies.
The bottom line: The rise in fentanyl-related overdose deaths has fueled GOP interest in border security, although fentanyl smuggling overwhelmingly occurs at legal ports of entry and can involve U.S. citizens.
Roughly 8,200 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at legal entry points along the southwest border so far this fiscal year — 17 times more than the 477 pounds seized by Border Patrol agents who focus on stopping smugglers and migrants attempting to cross the border illegally, according to U.S. data.
In contrast, 87% of encounters with migrants and asylum seekers have been by Border Patrol rather than at ports of entry.
source axios