Just over half of Americans now say they would support the mass deportation of illegal migrants, a poll released Thursday found.
The 51% who approve of the action includes 42% of Democrats, as well as 68% of Republicans and 46% of independents, according to the Axios Vibes/The Harris Poll survey. Approximately two-thirds of respondents believe illegal immigration is a legitimate crisis as President Joe Biden’s administration has seen record numbers of border crossings.
Mark Penn, chairman of The Harris Poll, told Axios that Biden’s “efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to [former President Donald] Trump are not going to work.”
“I was surprised at the public support for large-scale deportations,” Penn said. “I think they’re just sending a message to politicians: ‘Get this under control.'”
Border Patrol had 137,480 encounters at the southern border in March, and has already seen 1 million in fiscal year 2024, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. Fiscal year 2022 included nearly 2.2 million encounters and fiscal year 2023 had 2 million.
A majority of White Americans would support mass deportations, while 45% of Latinos and 40% of black respondents said the same, according to the poll. (RELATED: Americans Are Now Most Concerned About Immigration, Poll Finds)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU) 2024 Legislative Conference at the Washington Hilton. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Increased crime rates, drugs and violence; added costs to taxpayers; and potential terrorism and national security risks are Americans’ top concerns related to illegal immigration, according to the poll.
The survey also found that Americans largely support immigration as long as it’s legal, with 65% saying the U.S. should make it easier for those wanting a better life to legally enter the country so they don’t try to illegally.
Migrant people of different nationalities seeking asylum in the United States travel on freight cars of the Mexican train known as “The Beast” as they arrive at the border city of Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua state, Mexico on April 24, 2024. (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Cattle rancher John Ladd points to dates written on a lower section of the thirty-foot tall US-Mexico border wall marking repairs made after the wall was compromised by migrants crossing into his land on the US-Mexico border near Palominas in Cochise County, Arizona on April 17, 2024. John Ladd says he could ride a horse before he could walk, the fourth generation of a ranching family that arrived in Arizona when the border between Mexico and the United States was just a line on the map. Now he feels that frontier — and the thousands of people who spill across it every day — threaten his whole way of life. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
First responders aid a sick person as dozens of asylum seekers wait for US Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico border in Campo, California, on April 4, 2024. (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
EL PASO, TEXAS – MARCH 13: In an aerial view, immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on March 13, 2024 in El Paso, Texas. The wire was placed by the troops as part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” to deter migrants from crossing into Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
“The tradeoff here in the poll is, people would take expanded legal immigration if they saw there’s a crackdown on the border,” Penn said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the House in February over his handling of the border crisis, but the Democratic-controlled Senate dismissed the two articles without a trial on April 17.
EL PASO, TEXAS – MARCH 13: In an aerial view, a pregnant woman from Venezuela walks along the bank of the Rio Grande after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on March 13, 2024 in El Paso, Texas. Texas National Guard troops have placed coils of razor wire on the riverside as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” to deter migrants from crossing into Texas. The vast majority of immigrants, however, manage to pass through the wire and are then permitted to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents, usually to request asylum. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
EAGLE PASS, TEXAS – MARCH 17: In an aerial view, a Texas National Guard soldier stands atop a barrier of shipping containers and razor wire while guarding the U.S.-Mexico border as people play at Eagle Pass Golf Course on March 17, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. Texas National Guard troops have fortified the U.S.-Mexico border with vast a amount of razor wire as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” to deter migrants from crossing into Texas. The U.S. southwestern border stretches nearly 2,000 miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and is marked by fences, deserts, mountains and the Rio Grande, which runs the entire length of Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
The issue has become a main point on the campaign trail as illegal immigration continues to rank among the top concerns Americans have ahead of November. Polling suggests voters trust Trump by double digits more than Biden on the issue.
The poll surveyed 6,251 U.S. adults between March 29-31, April 5-7 and April 12-14, and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5%.
Neither Biden’s campaign nor the White House immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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