Polls: Immigration Second-Most Important Problem for Americans
Results suggest Biden doesn’t have the mandate for his unlimited immigration policies that he thinks he does
By Andrew R. Arthur on May 20, 2021
On May 13, global research firm Ipsos released a “Core Political Data” poll of 1,005 American adults, in conjunction with the Reuters news service. A plurality (48 percent) of respondents believe things in this country are “on the wrong track”, while 37 percent said they are “on the right track”. One likely reason for this dismal assessment is that “immigration” tied for second as the “most important problem facing America” — and the president’s handling of immigration is not good, by any metric.
Apprehensions of migrants at the Southwest border in April reached a 21-year high (not counting more than 40,000 people who evaded Border Patrol apprehension last month), while at the same time ICE monthly removals are at an all-time low.
Statements by administration officials (including DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas) suggest that the White House is not that displeased with these outcomes — yet.
That does not mean, however, that the American people agree. Twelve percent of those polled by Ipsos identified “immigration” as the most important problem in the United States, placing the issue second only to the catch-all “economy, unemployment, and jobs”, at 23 percent.
With inflation clocking up the largest 12-month increase since September 2008, the unemployment rate unchanged in April at 6.1 percent (well above its pre-pandemic level, when it averaged below 4 percent), and 8.12 million jobs unfilled at the end of March, echoes of the “Great Recession” abound.
https://cis.org/Arthur/Polls-Immigration-SecondMost-Important-Problem-Americans
