A group of illegal border crossers from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala arrested on private ranch in Maverick County, Texas.

Texas Department of Public Safety

From The Center Square

By Bethany Blankley

84% of registered voters oppose ‘illegal’ immigration while 71% support ‘legal’ immigration, showing a clear understanding of the effects of both legal and illegal immigration

Polls are consistently showing two key indictments on the Biden-Harris administration border policy: Americans not only overwhelmingly oppose illegal immigration but also want troops sent to the southern border and the border secure.

Two new recent polls support this trend, although polls have consistently shown that Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of Vice President Kamala Harris’ job as “border czar.”

A new Napolitan News Service poll found that 84% of registered voters believe “illegal immigration is bad for the United States” compared to only 12% who say it is good.

The ratio of opposition/support to illegal immigration has “remained broadly unchanged for decades,” the news service says.

The overwhelming majority polled, 71%, said they support legal immigration, arguing it is good for the country. Those who oppose illegal immigration say it hurts Americans.

“That view has also remained stable for decades. Voters make a clear distinction between legal and illegal immigration,” the news service says.

The primary reason for opposition: crime. Among those polled, 49% cited crime as a top concern; 28% said illegal immigration allows criminals and terrorists into the country; 26% said it places a burden on the economy and healthcare; 16% that it allows in people who are dangerous; 5% that it allows in drugs and dealers.

“Overall, these numbers reflect the fact that voters see America as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws,” RMG Research president Scott Rasmussen said. “Voters understand why most immigrants want to bring their families to the land of opportunity. But they are angry at the federal government for allowing and encouraging illegal immigration.”

In a separate poll, 75% said they support sending U.S. troops to “challenge drug cartels and secure the border.”

“That’s up significantly since President Biden took office and the total includes 90% of Republicans and 62% of Democrats,” Napolitan News Service said.

The findings are consistent with several other polls.

A recent Rasmussen Reports poll found that nearly two-thirds surveyed say the southern border crisis should be called an invasion. Large majorities said border security is a vital national security interest (70%) and acknowledged what’s happening is a crisis (72%).

This is after Texas changed the conversation on the border, introducing the term and concept of invasion to the American public, with 55 counties declaring an invasion. Sixty counties also issued disaster declarations citing the border crisis.

A recent Monmouth University Polling Institute report found the majority polled said they support building a border wall, a policy former President Donald Trump implemented that Biden ended on his first day in office. The majority polled, over 80%, said illegal immigration is “either a very serious (61%) or somewhat serious (23%) problem.”

“Public concern about illegal immigration is higher during President Joe Biden’s term than it was under the prior two administrations,” the institute said.

A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found that the majority of Texans, including Hispanics and Blacks, support building a wall and border security measures. It also found that Democrats in Texas are increasingly supporting Trump.

Overall, 65% of all Texas voters said they support Texas building its own wall and barriers; 57% support Texas installing marine buoys in the Rio Grande River; 66% support deploying additional state police and military resources to the border.

A majority of Hispanic Texas voters, 56%, also disapprove of Biden’s handling of immigration and border security, the UT/TPP poll found.

Another UT/TPP poll found that Texans overwhelmingly support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security efforts through Operation Lone Star, including supporting Texas installing marine barriers, constructing a border wall and physical barriers at the Texas-Mexico border, deploying additional resources to the border, and busing illegal foreign nationals north.

These findings are similar to those from The Center Square Voters’ Voice polls conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights. One poll last year found that 82% of Americans are concerned about border security. Among them, 50% said the border crisis became worse under the Biden-Harris administration.

Another from March found that 62% of voters say the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction under the Biden-Harris administration with yet another showing that illegal immigration nearly ties inflationary high costs as the top concern.

Another Voter’s Voice poll found that Americans want states to play a role in border security, supporting Texas and other state’s right to secure their borders.