Most Americans believe—and are more concerned than in previous years—that migrants who enter the country illegally commit crimes, a shift largely driven by increased worry among Republicans, while Democrats continue to see a broad range of benefits from immigration, according to a new poll.
The survey conducted by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that a significant percentage of U.S. adults believe immigrants contribute to the country’s economic growth and make important cultural contributions to the United States. However, when it comes to those who arrived through legal channels, they see fewer benefits than in the past and more significant risks.
About 4 in 10 Americans say that when migrants enter the country legally, it is highly beneficial for businesses to have the expertise of skilled workers in fields like science and technology. A similar percentage, 38%, also say they make an important contribution by enriching U.S. culture and values.
Both figures have declined since 2017, when 59% of Americans said skilled migrant workers arriving legally were an important benefit, and half said they provided an important benefit by enriching U.S. culture.
Additionally, the percentage of Americans who say there is a significant risk that migrants who followed legal channels will commit crimes in the United States has increased from 19% in 2017 to 32% in the new survey.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say that immigration is an important issue for them personally, and 41% now say it is a significant risk that migrants who entered legally commit crimes in the United States, up from 20% in 2017. Overall, Republicans are more likely to see significant risks—and fewer benefits—in immigration, both legal and illegal, though they tend to be more concerned about the latter.
Bob Saunders, a 64-year-old independent from Voorhees, New Jersey, disapproves of President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration and border security and is particularly concerned about the number of migrants arriving at the southern border who are released into the country. He noted there are differences between legal and illegal immigration. For Saunders, it is important to know the backgrounds of those entering the country, and he said legal immigration contributes to the economy. He also mentioned that his family includes migrants.
“It’s not against immigration,” Saunders said. “It’s against illegal immigration.”
Many Republicans, 71%, believe there is a risk that people in the country without proper documentation will commit crimes, though many studies have shown that migrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born citizens. An even higher percentage, 80%, believe there is a significant risk that undocumented individuals will become a burden on public service programs, while six in ten Republicans worry there is a significant risk they will take American jobs, that their population growth will weaken American identity, or that they will vote illegally—though only a small number of non-citizen voters have been discovered.
Amber Pierce, a 43-year-old Republican from Milam, Texas, said she understands that many migrants seek a better life for their children but also worries they will become a burden on public services.
“I think a lot of them come here and get free healthcare and take it away from people who have worked here and are citizens,” Pierce said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”
Democrats, meanwhile, are more likely to see benefits in immigration, though the poll found that only half now believe those who arrived without proper documentation are making important contributions to U.S. businesses, a drop of more than 20 percentage points since 2017.
But they are more likely than Republicans to say that the ability of people to come from other parts of the world to escape violence or seek economic opportunities is extremely or very important to the identity of the United States as a nation.
“People come here for a good reason. That’s how many of us got here,” said Amy Wozniak, a Democrat from Greenwood, Indiana. Wozniak noted that previous waves of migrants came from Europe and now come from other countries, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fleeing for valid reasons, adding, “It’s not all drugs and criminals.”
There is also a divide over the value of diversity: 83% of Democrats say the country’s population diversity makes it, at least moderately, stronger, compared to 43% of Republicans and independents. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say that American culture and shared values are extremely or very important to the country’s identity, though nearly half of Democrats also highlight it as important.
U.S. adults—especially Republicans—are more likely to say the country has changed significantly due to immigrants in the last five years than to say immigrants have changed their community or state.
About three in ten U.S. adults say immigrants have had a significant impact on their local community, and roughly six in ten say they have had a significant impact on the country as a whole. The difference between the perception of impact at the community level and effects on the country overall is especially large among Republicans.
There is some bipartisan agreement on how to address immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The most popular option is hiring more Border Patrol agents, supported by nearly eight in ten Republicans and about half of Democrats. Adding more immigration judges and court staff also received majority support from both sides.
Nearly half of Americans support reducing the number of people who can apply for asylum when they arrive at the border, though there is a notable partisan divide, with more Republicans than Democrats in favor of this measure.
Building a wall—the signature policy of former President Donald Trump—is the least popular and most polarizing of the four options presented. About four in ten supported construction, including 77% of Republicans and just 12% of Democrats.
Donna Lyon, an independent Democrat from Cortland, New York, believes a wall would not do much to stop migrants. But she supports hiring more border agents and judges to address the growing backlog of cases in specialized courts.
Congress recently approved funding to hire about 2,000 more Border Patrol agents, but so far this year, there has been no significant push to add more judges. Many lawmakers from both parties have said asylum decisions take too long, leaving migrants in the country for years awaiting resolution, but no consensus has been reached to address the issue.
Image: VOA
