More Americans than not oppose President Joe Biden’s bid to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants in the House-passed $1.75 trillion tax and spend legislation dubbed “Build Back Better.”
A new survey for the National Sheriffs’ Association shared with Secrets found that 47% oppose amnesty, 36% support it, and a high 17% were unsure.
But it is a divisive issue, especially politically. The Tipp Poll found that a majority of Democrats and liberals, 59%, favor amnesty. But among Republicans, 72% oppose, and among independent voters, 53% oppose.
The survey tied illegal immigration to the rise in crime and drug use and the surge in border crossings under President Joe Biden.
Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff Mark Dannels, the chairman of the National Sheriffs’ Association Border Security Committee, said, “A plurality of Americans believe that crime has increased in their communities over the past year and want funding increased for policing. Nearly one-half also oppose granting amnesty to the millions of foreign nationals who entered the country illegally.”
Dannals said that about 90% of illegal drugs entering the U.S. come across the border, “causing a spike in violence and death throughout the interior of America.”
And he said that illegal immigrants surging the border “are quickly transported to northern states, such as New Jersey and Oregon.”
All that has raised concerns about the growing crime wave in America and liberal calls to defund the police.
The survey found that by a 43%-10% margin, U.S. adults believe crime has increased in their community.
And with increased crime, more adults want police funding increased. Said the analysis, “Four in ten (42%) want to increase police funding, while one in six (17%) want to decrease. One-third (33%) want to maintain funding at the current level.”
