For the first time ever, a majority of Americans now support the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The latest survey from Monmouth revealed that 53 percent of Americans now support the idea of a wall as millions of illegal immigrants continue to enter the country illegally every year. It also found that nearly half the population thought the recent bipartisan border deal did not go far enough:
Monmouth explained:
Public concern about illegal immigration is higher during President Joe Biden’s term than it was under the prior two administrations, according to the latest national Monmouth University Poll. A majority of Americans support building a border wall for the first time since Monmouth started asking this question in 2015. Nearly half say the bipartisan border deal that was blocked in the U.S. Senate earlier this month is not tough enough on illegal immigration.
The report notes that the increase is especially notable compared with when Donald Trump first ran for office and proposed the idea back in 2015:
A majority of the public (53%) supports building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, compared with 46% who oppose it. During the Trump administration, support for this project registered no higher than 44% and stood as low as 35%.
Support stood at 48% the first time Monmouth asked this question (September 2015) and 42% the last time this question was included in one of Monmouth’s national polls (April 2019). Compared to public opinion nine years ago, support for building a border wall has increased by 13 points among Republicans (from 73% to 86%) and 11 points among independents (from 47% to 58%), but it has declined by 14 points among Democrats (from 31% to 17%).
Support for the border falls in line with growing concern about the consequences of illegall immigration, with more than 80 percent of Americans now viewing the issue as a serious problem:
More than 8 in 10 Americans see illegal immigration as either a very serious (61%) or somewhat serious (23%) problem. The 6 in 10 who describe it as a very serious problem represents a jump from polls taken at the end of former President Barack Obama’s administration to the midpoint of former President Donald Trump’s term. Specifically, the view that illegal immigration poses a very serious problem for the country ranged between 43% and 49% from 2015 to 2019.
Concern about illegal immigration has increased among all partisan groups. This rise is most notable among Republicans, from 66% very serious in 2015 to 77% in 2019 and 91% in the current poll. Among independents, 58% say this is a very serious problem, up from just over 4 in 10 who said the same in both 2015 (42%) and 2019 (43%). A similar level of concern among Democrats now stands at 41%, after dipping from 33% in 2015 to 26% in 2019.
The figures bode well for Republicans in another crucial election year that could see Donald Trump return to the White House on a promise to carry out an unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration.
Earlier this month, Axios published a report outlining how Trump plans on using a “range of tools to deport millions of people in the U.S. each year — from obscure laws to military funds to law enforcement officers from all levels of government.”
A cynic would of course point out that Trump pledged to something similar during his 2016 presidential campaign and ultimately failed to follow through. Yet given his recent promise to enact “ultimate and absolute revenge” on the political establishment if he succeeds in November, one can probably expect a crack down not seen since President Eisenhower ordered the deporation of over one million undocumented Mexican immigrants in Operation Wetback.
