A new poll has found that American sentiment towards immigration and the border is souring, with a majority of Americans saying they support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The poll from Axios and The Harris Poll reports that Americans are not only in favor of deportations but also ending birthright citizenship.
In total, about a third of Democrats and almost half of Republicans say they would end the right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
The results of the poll carry surprising results and come as immigration remains a strong point of contention in the upcoming presidential election.
While President Joe Biden is continuing to push Congress to take action to address the border, his opponent, former President Donald Trump, is criticizing him for not using the authority he already has to address the situation.
Still, many have accused Trump of sabotaging Congress’s latest attempt at passing a conservative bipartisan immigration bill so that he can continue to campaign on the issue.
Either way, Americans are placing the blame on Biden, with 32% of respondents saying his administration is “most responsible” for the current border situation.
Mark Penn, chairman of The Harris Poll, shared with Axios that he was “surprised” by the growing support for large-scale deportations, which included support from 42% of Democrats surveyed.
“I think they’re just sending a message to politicians: ‘Get this under control,’” Penn said.
He continued, adding that it could also be seen as a warning to Biden that his “efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to Trump are not going to work.”
If re-elected this November, Trump has promised to carry out the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
However, he has also drawn criticism over his remarks that many have called racist and even drawn comparisons to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler when he said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.”
As for what Americans are most concerned about when it comes to immigration, the poll found that increased crime rates, drugs, and violence (21%) were a top concern, followed by the cost to taxpayers (18%) and national security (17%).
The poll was conducted from March 29-31, April 5-7, and April 12-14. It included responses from 6,251 US adults.
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