Immigration surged past inflation as the number-one issue for American voters in the month of January, a new poll finds. Increased public concern over the border crisis—which comes amid a record surge in migrant crossings and an ongoing legal standoff between Texas and the federal government—could also become a major roadblock for the Biden administration, with a majority blaming the incumbent for making the problem worse.
According to the results of a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll published on Monday, 35 percent of registered voters surveyed since last month rank immigration as their biggest concern. This seven-point jump put immigration at the top of the list of issues, followed by inflation at 32 percent and “the economy and jobs” at 25 percent.
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This increased concern over the long-term effects of immigration comes after a record-breaking 276,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in December alone. With migrant caravans arriving at the border on an almost weekly basis, migrant processing centers are being steadily overrun.
At the same time, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that approximately 6.2 million illegal immigrants have been allowed into the United States since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. This staggering total averages out to just over one migrant for every two Americans born during that time—and the CBO data published this week does not even account for those who arrived after October 1st, 2023.
Despite these record numbers, the Biden administration has actively campaigned to shut down state efforts to close the border, leading to an ongoing conflict with the state of Texas. The state’s National Guard took control of a border park in the city of Eagle Pass, ousting federal border patrol and erecting barbed wire barricades along the Rio Grande. In response, the federal government has filed a number of Supreme Court lawsuits against Governor Greg Abbott to regain control.
Related: Supreme Court Allows Federal Agents to Tear Down Texas Border Barricades
As the Harvard-Harris poll indicates, this intensifying crisis has done little to improve Biden’s standing ahead of the November election.
Nearly two-thirds of voters—64 percent—said that the border crisis has only gotten worse under Biden’s tenure, and 77 percent believe that he needs to make a deal with Republicans to increase security. Lawmakers have been infuriatingly deadlocked on the issue for months, with Democrats insisting that legislation on border security be grouped with a $61 billion aid payment to Ukraine. Republicans have refused to budge on the Ukraine issue and have accused Democrats of holding the nation hostage by leaving the border unprotected.
Some 46 percent of poll takers report that they are now less likely to vote for Biden because of his handling of the border issue, and 82 percent of respondents—including 68 percent of Democrats—think the country needs a new president.
Other findings from the wide-ranging poll determined that:
- Outlooks on the American economy are generally negative,
- Questions about Biden’s health and mental fitness are on the minds of most voters,
- Interest in third-party candidates is growing,
- and Donald Trump is projected to win an election against Biden and third-party challengers like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein.
The full Harvard CAPS-Harris poll can be read below:
Harvard-CAPS-Harris-PollDownload
Connor Walcott is a staff writer covering politics, culture, and business for Valuetainment.com.
Follow Connor on X (Twitter) and catch him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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