During his four-year term, Donald Trump’s presidency was marked by constant controversies. At every turn, Trump managed to capture the public’s attention with his appearances, statements, and contentious decisions that redefined the expectations of a U.S. president’s role. Identifying his single most controversial action while in office is challenging, but many will agree that his decision to fund a border wall at the Texas border to curb immigration is somewhere on the top of the list.
President Biden stopped the Texas border wall project as soon as he took over the White House office
Trump faced significant criticism for this initiative, with opposition from both his adversaries and some members of his own party, despite his firm belief in the necessity of the wall for combating illegal immigration. He somehow managed to get the project going despite criticism, but as soon as President Biden took over the White House, he stopped the project in what now appears to be a huge mistake. three years later, a majority of Americans believe Trump’s border wall was the correct course of action.
Study finds that most Americans think border wall is good choice in securing the border
The huge rise in immigration to the United States has been one of the main topics of discussion across the country. A new poll from Monmouth University shows that public opinion has changed significantly. Most Americans now support building a wall along the southern border of the United States.
Border wall idea hits record-high approval among Americans
Here’s an important milestone: support for the wall has now surpassed 50% for the first time since the poll began in 2015, with 53% of voters in favor. On the other hand, 46% are still opposing the border wall idea. When we look back at the time when Trump was president, support for such a wall never went above 44%. At its lowest point, it dropped to 35%. This indicates a significant uptick in the level of support for the wall compared to previous years.
“Compared to public opinion nine years ago, support for building a border wall has increased by 13 points among Republicans (from 73% to 86%) and 11 points among independents (from 47% to 58%), but it has declined by 14 points among Democrats (from 31% to 17%),” the report’s figures showed.
More than 80% of Americans perceive illegal immigration as (very) serious issue
The Monmouth University study shows the public is getting increasingly concerned about illegal immigration. A significant majority, over 8 in 10 Americans, perceive illegal immigration as either a very serious (61%) or somewhat serious (23%) issue. Different political groups have different levels of concern about this issue. For example, 91% of Republicans see immigration as a very serious problem, while only 58% of Independents and 41% of Democrats do. This marks a considerable rise in concern across all political affiliations compared to previous years, indicating a growing unease about immigration issues among the American population.
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However, all groups of respondents posted a surge compared to 2015 and 2019.
“This rise is most notable among Republicans, from 66% very serious in 2015 to 77% in 2019 and 91% in the current poll. Among independents, 58% say this is a very serious problem, up from just over 4 in 10 who said the same in both 2015 (42%) and 2019 (43%). A similar level of concern among Democrats now stands at 41%, after dipping from 33% in 2015 to 26% in 2019,” the report explained.
More people want immigrants to wait in their counties during the political asylum process
When asked how to proceed with immigrants seeking political asylum, the study shows that most people would rather have them wait in Mexico while their claims are processed than in the U.S. More than 60% of those who answered the question preferred this proposal, while only 35% liked the idea of letting them stay in the U.S. during this time. Since 2019, both Democrats and Republicans have become more in favor of keeping asylum seekers outside the U.S. borders while their cases are being reviewed. This shows a change toward stricter immigration and border control policies.
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Immigrants are more prone to violent crimes, more Americans think
Consulted about whether they thing illegal immigrants are more likely to commit violent crimes, an issue that has taken centerstage after the alleged killing of a nursing student by a Venezuelan, 32% said so.
“The shift in opinion that illegal immigrants are more prone to violent crime has grown most dramatically among Republicans – from just 29% in 2015 to 45% in 2019 and 65% in 2024. By comparison, the changes in this view among other partisan groups has been much less significant – from 15% in 2015 to 26% in 2024 among independents and from 10% in 2015 to 12% now among Democrats,” the report said.
