By double digits, voters gave former President Trump a thumbs-up on the border issue compared to incumbent President Joe Biden.
But Trump and other Republicans shot down a bipartisan senate border bill that would have made it more difficult for illegals to enter the U.S. and it also had over $650 million towards a border wall.
While most voters blame Biden’s policies for the crisis at the southern border, a new poll by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) finds that 59% of voters said they would support the bipartisan deal that Republicans killed. A larger number of voters (74%) said they would back a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. country for many years if they could pass a background check.
The pollsters said voters want immigration reform passed to curb illegals coming to the country.
Though the bill was supported by rank-and-file Senate Republicans, many Florida GOP House members opposed it, stating it should have been a “stand-alone bill” instead of being lumped in with Ukraine and Israel funding legislation.
66% of voters would get behind the creation of a system for those brought into the U.S. illegally as children, referred to as Dreamers, to obtain citizenship. 58% support increasing the number of legal immigrants to the U.S.
Though voters blame Biden for the border crisis, they specifically said it stemmed from reversing the Trump-era executive orders.
The increase of Democratic voters unhappy with Biden’s handling of the border has risen over the last year. But the WSJ poll reveals Democrats are more open than Republican voters to favor measures that look to benefit illegal immigrants in the U.S.
But it’s not to say that all GOP voters agree and think alike on immigration issues. While the poll found most GOP voters favor tougher regulations, it also showed that a majority of Republicans supported a mechanism of helping illegals in the U.S. find a pathway to citizenship.
At the same time, polling data showed broad support for deporting those living in the U.S. illegally.
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