For the first time in nearly two decades, a majority of Americans are demanding a reduction in the number of immigrants their country takes in, but does the popular will have any chance of breaking through amongst the governing elites?
A Gallup poll released earlier this month found that 55 percent of U.S. adults want to see a decrease in the number of immigrants coming into the country, versus 41 percent who say they want immigration increased. This is the highest popularity for greater immigration controls since the 9/11 attacks, which were largely a result of immigration-related failures.
There are a variety of reasons for the public’s increasing skepticism of mass migration. The primary factor is the tragic reality that the Biden Administration has forfeited operational control over the southern border. This has resulted in an influx of more than 10 million illegal aliens over the last three and a half years, and the results have been disastrous for the American people, especially for those living in larger cities.
The crisis has led major cities such as New York and Chicago to spend large chunks of their budgets on foreign nationals, while housing costs soar, and many of its citizens languish in homelessness and poverty. The economic toll of the Biden Administration’s self-inflicted migrant crisis on the country is high. The migrant crisis has led to an increase in violent crime in New York City, with rapes soaring by 11 percent overall, and more than doubling in some parts of the city.
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Then, there are the individual stories of violent illegal alien-inflicted crimes that have shocked the conscience of the nation. Perhaps most disturbing was the story of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student, who was brutally slain while on a jog, allegedly at the hands of an illegal alien who had been protected by sanctuary policies implemented in Athens, Ga. There’s also the recent killing of Rachel Morin, a Maryland-based 23-year-old mother of five who was also allegedly murdered by an illegal alien while on a jog. These preventable tragedies have laid bare the consequences of disastrous anti-border policies and have led to a nationwide backlash against illegal immigration.
As a result, the anti-borders movement has lost momentum as opposition to illegal immigration and support for increased border security has become firmly embedded as the national consensus. Even the Biden Administration has attempted to present a tough—albeit superficial—front against illegal immigration in recent months, issuing an executive order intended to appease critics of their anti-border policies. What makes this Gallup poll noteworthy is that it shows Americans are also souring on high levels of legal immigration as well.
While most political elites at least pay lip service to opposing illegal immigration, legal immigration is considered by many to be an inexorable part of the American fabric, and those who question it are often painted as being on the fringes of the political spectrum. It is extremely rare to see any major figure in U.S. politics or business call for a reduction in the number of legal immigrants the U.S. takes in, but according to one of the nation’s most reputable pollsters, this is now the majority view of the American public.
This is a seismic shift from just five years ago when just 27percent of Americans supported decreasing immigration, according to the same pollster. The cliché that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants is woven deeply into the historical narrative of the country, taught to students at a young age, and echoed incessantly by politicians and activists. Because of this, Americans tend to be very welcoming and tolerant, and indeed it is hard to imagine anybody who would have a problem with honest people attempting to come to the U.S. through legal channels in order to build a better life for themselves and their family. As welcoming as Americans are, however, they have their limits and are fed up with their government consistently prioritizing the needs of foreign nationals over their own.
The U.S. annually accepts more than one million legal immigrants, far more than any other advanced country. Combine this number with the 2-3 million illegal aliens who have crossed our border annually over the past three years and this is simply an untenable level of mass migration. Accepting several million—mostly unvetted—foreign nationals every year and expecting no negative consequences for the country and its legal residents is just not realistic and never has been. This is a recipe for eroding national cohesion, not to mention our finite resources.
U.S. leaders should heed the wishes of the American public on this issue and act accordingly. It is past time for the U.S. to adopt an immigration policy that puts the national interest over special interests and American citizens over foreign nationals.
William J. Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.
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