Since President Biden took office in 2021, more Americans are unsatisfied with the immigration levels in the U.S., according to a new Gallup survey, as reported by Axios. Just 28 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the level of immigration right now, which is the lowest in a decade. Two-thirds of those people want less immigration, and that's why Republicans have made the border issues their number one campaign priority. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) will make his first trip to the border as speaker on Thursday — visiting Arizona with Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Jen Kiggans of Virginia and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin. 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.
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 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. Over the past 23 years that Gallup has measured immigration views, satisfaction with immigration levels hit a high of 41 percent in 2017 and a low of 23 percent in 2008. In the latest poll, 71 percent of Republicans favored decreased immigration while only 19 percent of Democrats said the same. More than half of Democrats are satisfied with immigration levels or want them increased.