Voters significantly underestimate the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country: poll
Thomas McDonald
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Most voters are unaware of the true number of illegal immigrants coming across the southern border every year, a new poll found.
A new Harvard/Harris poll asked voters, “How many border crossings of illegal immigrants would you say are occurring every month in the United States right now?” The answers were surprisingly low compared to the true number, which rests around 200,000 illegal immigrants per month, or about 2.4 million each year.
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Votes were given seven options to choose from, ranging from less than 10,000 per month to over 250,000 per month. The most popular answer was “between 10,000 and 50,000.” A range way below the actual number. The second most popular answer was “less than 10,000 per month.”
The number of wrong responses to this question is very troubling, as it shows American citizens are not aware of how many foreigners are illegally entering their country. A predicament fueled by the mainstream media that too often fails to report the reality of the situation at the southern border.
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Voters were told the true number of illegal border crossings each month and then asked if they support the administration issuing “new stricter policies to reduce the flow.” Voters overwhelmingly said they support “new, stricter policies to reduce the flow of people across the border.” With 36% saying the administration should continue its current policies and 64% saying they should try something new to stem the flow.
The poll found that a majority of voters also believe President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and his reversal of many of Trump’s policies are causing more illegal immigrants to try and get into the country.
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When asked, “Do you think the Biden Administration executive orders on immigration encourage or discourage illegal immigration?” A majority, 68%, said they encourage illegal immigration while only 32% say they discourage. The poll also asked voters, “Do you think that the Biden administration should have undone all of the Trump administration
executive orders on immigration, or should the Biden administration have left those Trump policies that made it more difficult to come into the country in place?” A majority, 55%, responded by saying they should be left in place, while only 45% said they should have been undone.
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The poll found that a majority of voters blamed the Biden administration for the increase in unaccompanied minor children coming across the border. A whopping 61% said the flow of children is Biden’s fault, while only 39% said it was Trump’s fault. A significant majority, 67%, said they believe that illegal aliens who are caught crossing the border should be sent back to Mexico and not allowed to stay in the U.S. Only 33% said they should be allowed to remain in the U.S. with a court date.