The political division that followed in lockstep after the election of President Biden has bled into the debate over the surge in illegal immigration, with Democrats choosing illegal immigrants over the border.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, Democrats, by a margin of 50% to 42%, believe that Biden’s priority should be “legalizing” undocumented workers in the United States over “gaining control of the border.”
That support from the base should be encouraging to Biden as he struggles with the crisis and moves to dismantle Trump-era border closing policies. It might give him and his team breathing room as they rush to implement Obama-era plans to clear out the overcrowded holding facilities on the U.S.-Mexico border by shipping illegal immigrants around the nation.
Amnesty has always split the parties, and Rasmussen found that true today. Some 82% of Republicans want the border secured before talking about amnesty.
The survey showed, however, that Democrats appear to be in a period of doubt about the situation on the border. Despite their preference for Biden to help illegal immigrants already here first, slightly more, 53%, called the border a “vital national security interest” for the U.S.
Overall, 65% agreed.
And the survey showed something else interesting: Younger voters appear to be more concerned about securing the border as the top priority. Rasmussen found that 46% of likely voters aged 18-39 said “gaining control of the border” should be the top priority. Another 44% chose “legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States.”
