A new Gallup poll reveals that 27 percent of Americans mentioned "immigration" as the most important issue currently facing America.
The poll was conducted from July 1 - July 12 of a random sample of 1525 adults. When broken down into political groups, "42 percent of Republicans, 20 percent of independents and 20 percent of Democrats mention immigration" as their top concern.
Thirty percent of white Americans and 21 percent of non-white Americans mentioned the issue as their number one priority.
Twenty-three percent of Americans mentioned the government and poor leadership as their top concern. Just seven percent said that race relation was their top concern.
The problem of immigration now joins five other issues since 2000 with at least 27 percent of Americans saying it was their "most important problem."
Gallup has asked the "most important problem" question since 1939, and has done so on a monthly basis since March 2001. Over the past 19 years, only five other issues have been mentioned at some point by at least the 27% who named immigration this month. These include the economy in general, unemployment, the situation in Iraq, terrorism and the government.
As reported by Gallup, "Americans' concern about immigration has reached a high point in Gallup's measurement of the issue, at least based on the percentage of U.S. adults who perceive the issue to be the most important problem facing the country."
The polling company adds, "Immigration was arguably the top issue in Trump's 2016 campaign, and he, too, has been unable to pass favored legislation on the issue, including the full amount of funding he sought to extend the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Many of his attempts to circumvent the legislative process have also been blocked by Congress and the courts."
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"As such, immigration is likely to remain a top issue for Americans, particularly at points when large numbers of immigrants or asylum seekers are attempting to enter the country illegally," Gallup added.
However, President Trump has had some success in terms of building portions of the wall without Congress. As Matt reported Monday, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection has completed construction of approximately 50 miles of new bollard wall projects authorized by funding from fiscal years 2017 and 2018."
This poll also comes as one of the top Democratic think tanks, the Center for American Progress, warned 2020 candidates that President Donald J. Trump was winning the communication battle over immigration. The progressive group recommended the Democratic Party shift more towards the middle and emphasize enforcement of the law. This comes as virtually all Democratic candidates have recommended what equates to open borders via lax punishments of illegal aliens who cross into the country without permission.
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