Half of Americans believe a large number of migrants entering the country poses a “critical threat” to the interests of the United States, and a majority favor expanding the U.S.-Mexico border wall, a Chicago Council survey found.
Fifty percent of Americans view large numbers of migrants and refugees entering the U.S. to be a “critical threat” to the nation, a survey released Friday by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found. The poll additionally found wide support for a border wall and the use of U.S. troops to stem illegal immigration.
The most dramatic increase in concern came from Republicans, with 83% signifying mass migration to be a critical threat. The survey found 45% of independents and only 27% of Democrats to share the same concern.
“American concern over the large numbers of immigrants and refugees coming into the United States has been on the rise over the last several years,” the survey stated. “That reflects a dramatic rise in the number of encounters between the US Border Patrol and migrants seeking to enter the United States via the US-Mexico border.”
The survey found other areas of support for hawkish border policies, with 55% of Americans favoring construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in order to reduce the number of illegal migrant crossings and 53% in favor of using U.S. troops to help fend off migrant crossings. The bulk of support, again, came from respondents who identified as Republican.
“In addition to being more likely to support deporting undocumented immigrants from the United States, Republicans are far more likely to support using the US military to prevent additional unauthorized migration,” the survey reads.
However, a majority of Americans aren’t hawkish on all areas of immigration enforcement, the Chicago Council survey found. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they oppose mass detention camps for illegal migrants and a plurality — 44% — said “legal immigration to the United States should be kept at its present level.”
The survey was conducted online from June 21 to July 1 and included a sample of 2,106 adults. It has a margin-of-error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
Border Patrol agents have encountered more than seven million noncitizens unlawfully crossing into the country since President Joe Biden entered office, according to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection. Big cities such as New York City, Chicago and Denver have spent well over $1 billion to house and feed thousands of arriving asylum seekers.
A Harvard-Harris survey released earlier this week found massive support for stricter border measures, with 73% of respondents favoring a policy goal to “seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion.” A vast majority of voters in that same survey — 69% — said they viewed Vice President Kamala to be in favor of “open borders.”
The Harvard-Harris poll and past surveys indicate Americans view border security and other immigration-related issues as one of the most important issues facing the country.
Featured Image Credit: Flickr/U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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