A majority of Americans are in favor of lowering the United States’ immigration levels for the first time since 2005, a poll released Friday by Gallup shows.
55% of Americans prefer less immigration than the country is currently allowing, the survey showed. The most recent assessment to reach a majority was in 2005, when 51% of those polled said they would prefer less immigration.
This is the highest level that Gallup’s semi-annual assessment of this question has recorded since October 2001, when the number briefly jumped following the September 11 terrorist attacks. If the post-9/11 bump is excluded, the last time a number this high was recorded by the poll was in 1995.
The poll also showed that only 16% of Americans are in favor of increasing their nation’s immigration levels, the lowest level recorded by Gallup since 2009. Americans who are content with current immigration levels also hit a nearly 30-year low, coming in at 25% in the survey.
This poll is the latest indicator of how the apparent inability of President Joe Biden’s policies to control immigration is sitting with American voters. The final poll conducted during former President Donald Trump’s term showed that a 36% plurality of Americans favored the current immigration levels with 34% favoring increased levels and 28% favoring decreased levels.
New Gallup poll:
55% of Americans want to REDUCE immigration to the U.S.
Highest amount since the aftermath of 9/11.
This includes:
– 90% of Republicans
– 50% of Independents
– 28% of DemocratsThe only republicans who don’t want less immigration are in congress pic.twitter.com/7HHG0hZzAi
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) July 12, 2024
This new poll indicates that the number of Americans favoring less immigration has nearly doubled since the president has been sworn in. (RELATED: ‘Worst Case Scenario’: Biden Avoids Total Collapse In Gaffe-Heavy Presser)
Immigration was considered the top issue in the nation by a 28% plurality of Americans, Gallup numbers from March showed. In addition, 42% of Americans considered illegal immigration to be a “very big problem” while 39% viewed it as a “moderately big problem,” according to a May Gallup poll.
Under the Biden administration, authorities have had 377 encounters with individuals registered with the federal terrorism database at the northern and southern borders, including the numbers so far counted in the 2024 fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data. 14 such encounters occurred under Donald Trump’s presidency. The Biden administration has also overseen record numbers of illegal southern border crossings, including the most ever for a month in December 2023 — 301,983 encounters.
