A recent survey by the Pew Research Center indicates that only 18% of Americans approve of how the federal government is handling the situation at the southern border, where record numbers of migrants have been crossing in recent months.
The survey, released on Thursday, reveals that 80% of Americans think the government is doing a bad job at the border, with 45% saying it is doing a “very bad” job.
This comes amid escalating political tensions over the border issue, with House Republicans voting to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of neglecting his duties and failing to secure the border. Despite the impeachment vote, it is unlikely to succeed in the Senate, where a bipartisan border deal has been passed, including $3.5 billion for border security, humanitarian aid, and processing asylum seekers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed skepticism about the deal, urging President Joe Biden to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were processed. Biden suspended the policy shortly after taking office, citing human rights concerns.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has clashed with the federal government over his own border policies, including busing migrants to other states and signing a law giving more power to local law enforcement to arrest and detain migrants who cross the border illegally.
The Pew survey reveals a sharp partisan divide over the perception and solution to the border problem. While 89% of Republicans say the government is doing a bad job, only 73% of Democrats agree. Additionally, 70% of Republicans call the situation a “crisis,” while only 40% of Democrats consider it a major problem.
Regarding possible ways to improve the situation, 60% of Americans support increasing the number of judges and staff at the border to expedite the processing of asylum cases. Another 56% favor creating more opportunities for immigrants to work and live legally in the United States, with notable differences between Democrats and Republicans on these issues.
The Pew poll was conducted from January 16 to 21 among 5,109 adults, using a nationally representative panel of online respondents, with a margin of error for the overall sample of 1.7 percentage points.
