A new Washington Post/ABC News poll finds that a majority of Americans disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing on immigration — as illegal border crossings smash records month over month creating an unprecedented crisis.
The June 30th survey shows 51% of respondents are not satisfied with the president’s handling of the border crisis while 33% give him a thumbs up.
The poll comes amid growing concerns about the massive number of illegal immigrants entering the United States through the southern border with Mexico.
According to the US Border and Customs Protection Agency, in May more than 180,000 were intercepted at the border — the highest number in 20 years. Most of those migrants were single adults.
Since taking office, Biden has reversed policies put in place by former President Donald Trump including halting construction of the wall on the Mexican border. In April a border official slammed that decision, telling Fox News that “The project is three-quarters done. At least, they should be allowed to tie together the primary fence. Otherwise, we’re trying to catch these people in the worst possible place. It’s just sucking our manpower”
The Biden administration has made Vice President Kamala Harris the point person on the border crisis, a role later clarified as focusing on “root causes” of migration. After a weeks-long controversy over Harris’ refusal to visit the border, the Veep relented late last month by going to El Paso, Texas.
This latest poll, conducted entirely after that visit took place, shows that the visit did little to lift public opinion on the administration’s approach to illegal immigration.
According to GOP Texas governor Greg Abbot, “Things have changed so quickly and so dramatically under the Biden administration. It’s been amazing and disastrous.”
The poll found that Biden’s overall approval stood at 50%, 2 points down from an April survey, while disapproval held steady at 42%.
The border has become the most significant drag on the Biden administration, nearly six months into its term. A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll last month found that a whopping 74% of registered voters believe the border is a crisis that must be addressed immediately.
As the COVID pandemic, on which Biden receives high marks, recedes the border is set to be a major policy issue throughout the summer.