Two-thirds of Republicans want legalized migration to be decreased or ended, says a new poll by YouGov.
In contrast, 17 percent of Democrats want legalized migration to be cut back, says the poll of 1,632 citizens, which was conducted December 11-15.
But 37 percent of Democratic voters want more legal migration, and as does six percent of GOP voters, said the poll.
Amid the partisan polarization, there is a two-to-one plurality for less migration vs more migration. Just 18 percent of citizens want legalized migration to be increased, while 35 percent want it decreased or zeroed.
Twenty-five percent said the number should not be changed, even though establishment outlets rarely described the actual inflow of legalized migrants each year. Under Joe Biden, the inflow of all migrants was roughly level with the number of births.
Each year, the federal government imports more than 1.2 million legalized permanent or temporary migrants. That is roughly one legalized migrant for every three births.
The 26 percent who favor “decreased” migration is the plurality score in the YouGov poll, partly because an unusually large 19 percent of respondents declined to reveal their preference.
The December poll was a close match for a prior November poll by YouGov.
Other polls show overwhelming support for the deportation of all illegal migrants who commit major crimes, and a solid majority support for the deportation of all illegal migrants.
The sharp partisan differences in migration help to explain the wild swings in U.S. immigration policies during the last decade, and why Congress cannot forge a compromise.
But opinion polls also seem to show wild swings in public support for and against migration. For example, a new Gallup poll shows apparent support for more migration amid President Donald Trump’s curbs on legal and illegal migration.
But the small print in the Gallup poll says the result excluded comments from people “who volunteer that the effects [of migration] are ‘mixed’ or who do not have an opinion.”
The Gallup skew was ignored by pro-migration advocates. “You’ve already lost,” taunted Taiwanese immigrant Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) in a December 17 social-media message that spotlighted results from the Gallup poll. “America is even more pro immigration under your watch.”
In general, “When looking more deeply at attitudes on immigration, sentiment can vary widely based on the details included in specific poll questions, reflecting the complexity of the issue,” the New York Times reported in November. It continued:
When polls mention “border security,” approval tends to be higher. In a Marquette Law School poll taken this month, more than half of Americans — 54 percent — said they approved of Mr. Trump’s handling of “border security” — nine percentage points higher than the share who approved of him on “immigration.”
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But less than a third of Americans favored deporting undocumented immigrants to “foreign prisons in El Salvador, Rwanda, or Libya” in a P.R.R.I. poll taken from August to September. And there is little support for the idea of deporting immigrants who are in the country legally.
Overall, many polls reveal that Americans want to like — and to be seen liking — immigrants and immigration, even as the majority also oppose the damage caused by loose borders.
The economic damage includes lower wages, high housing costs, chaotic diversity, and raucous politics, while the benefits flow overwhelmingly to migrants, employers, and older investors.
This tension between generously wanting to like migrants and the reality of migration’s consequences can be seen in polls.
For example, a new YouTube poll shows a huge income-related gap in attitudes towards migration. The “increased” immigration option is backed by just 13 percent of people who earn less than $50,000 per year — and by 27 percent of people who earn more than $100,000 per year. In contrast, the racial gap is far smaller: Just 17 percent of whites and 22 percent of Hispanics favor more migration.
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