Gallup has been tracking Americans’ views on immigration issues for decades at this point and public opinion has shifted back and forth measurably. But their latest survey has shown a remarkable change from the prevailing attitudes that were seen only a few years ago. For the first time since 2014, more Americans want to see fewer immigrants allowed into the country than those who want to see more migrants or want to see the number remain the same. The numbers are still not even close to the peak of anti-immigration sentiment during the mid-90s when Bill Clinton was in charge, but there has been a decided change in the prevailing winds this year. And it’s impossible to ignore the impact that the Biden border crisis has been having on people’s attitudes. (NY Post)

A plurality of Americans believe the level of immigration into the US should be decreased, according to a new Gallup poll — the first time the survey has shown that in eight years.

The poll found that 38% of Americans want less immigration, while 27% said they want more. Another 31% said they want immigration to remain at its current level.

The last time more Americans wanted immigration reduced was in 2014, when 41% held that opinion, 33% said they wanted present levels maintained, and just 22% said they wanted immigration levels increased.

The one thing I don’t particularly like about this survey is the fact that Gallup never specifies whether they are asking about legal immigration or illegal immigration. If you were to ask about legal immigration, I believe a lot more people would say that they are fine with it. But if you specifically asked about illegal immigration, the number of people saying they would like to see less would probably skyrocket, though a shocking number of Democrats might still say they’d like to see more.

The immigration issue would likely be a much bigger deal right now if we weren’t in the middle of a recession, high inflation, an energy crisis, and a crime wave (which is also amplified by illegal immigration). As the Post analysis linked above indicates, only a tiny percentage of Americans view illegal immigration as their number one concern at the moment. And that’s understandable, given the bread and butter issues that many people are currently struggling with.

But that doesn’t mean that the issue is completely out of the equation, particularly with the midterms approaching. Most of the mainstream media does its level best to ignore the Biden border crisis, but that’s becoming more difficult as busloads of illegal migrants from Texas and Arizona continue to show up in Democratic-run cities. The same liberal mayors and city council members who have been assuring us for years that what the country really needs is “more diversity” are now up in arms because that’s not the sort of “diversity” they had in mind.

The Democrats may have passed a bill designed to expand and fund the Border Patrol, but the underlying attitude in their party hasn’t changed. They like open borders and want amnesty for all of the illegal aliens in the country. But that strategy may be about to backfire on them as more and more voters get a good look at what these policies have been doing to the country.