Tipsheet

Border Crisis Pushes Immigration to Top of Voter Concern List

As the unaccompanied child crisis on the border continues to get worse by the day, many voters now see immigration as one of the biggest problems facing the United States according to new Gallup polling. The percentage of people who believe immigration is a top concern has tripled in the past month.

With thousands of undocumented immigrant minors crossing the nation's southern border in recent months, the percentage of Americans citing immigration as the top problem has surged to 17% this month, up from 5% in June, and the highest seen since 2006. As a result, immigration now virtually ties "dissatisfaction with government," at 16%, as the primary issue Americans think of when asked to name the country's top problem.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen protests in California and Arizona against the busing of illegal immigrants into American communities. We've also seen reports of dangerous MS-13 gang members exploiting the crisis and using the Nogales Border Patrol processing center as a hub for gang recruitment and for access into the United States.