This as Americans’ concerns over immigration rose to their highest level since 2019.
WASHINGTON: US president Joe Biden’s popularity was near the lowest level of his presidency this month as Americans’ concerns over immigration rose to their highest level since 2019, before he took office, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
That was the highest measure of concern about immigration since December 2019, when 15% of respondents cited it as their top concern. Republicans – including former president Donald Trump, the frontrunner for his party’s nomination – have persistently criticised Biden for failing to stave off crossings from Mexico.
A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in September found that a majority of Americans – 54% – agreed with the statement that “immigration is making life harder for native-born Americans.” Some 73% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats surveyed agreed with that statement. The administration said last week it will add sections to a wall on the southern border to stave off migrant crossings, carrying forward one of the signature policies of Trump’s presidency. One of Biden’s first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to issue a proclamation pledging that “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.”