In a year when the economy, crime, and illegal immigration are top of mind for voters, there is no doubt what the overwhelming majority of voters feel about illegal immigration.
Eighty-four percent (84%) of voters say that illegal immigration is bad for the United States in a recent Napolitan News Service survey of registered voters.
The number of illegal immigrants in the US has doubled under the Biden-Harris administration from roughly 10.2 million to 20 million – and that number does not include the ‘got-aways’. If that number of illegals were all in one state, the state would be as big as the entire state of New York.
Americans are fully aware of the benefits of legal immigration and support immigrants coming to our country the right way. 83% say legal immigration is good for the country. This number has remained stable for decades. Voters make a clear distinction between legal and illegal immigration.
“Overall, these numbers reflect the fact that voters see America as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws,” according to RMG Research president Scott Rasmussen. “Voters understand why most immigrants want to bring their families to the land of opportunity. But they are angry at the federal government for allowing and encouraging illegal immigration.
The Hill estimates that if Biden or Harris were to win again in November, and they keep their current policies at the border in place, the number of illegal aliens in the country would balloon to 15-20 million more, to 40 million, by the time the next presidential term ends in 2029. That amounts to adding a whole second state of California in population in just 8 years.
Voters expressed that their biggest concerns about illegal immigration are that it allows in criminals and terrorists; it is a burden on the economy and healthcare; it allows in dangerous people; and it allows in drugs and dealers.
The opposition to illegal immigration cuts across all demographics. “It's hard to get New Yorkers to agree on anything but 85% of New Yorkers surveyed think that the illegal entrant crisis is a serious problem for the state, 88% NYC | 87% Suburbs | 82% Upstate 85% White | 84% Black | 89% Latino 89% Male | 84% Female,” said Reza Chowdhury.
Recent data showed that in just two months New York City spent $300 million on illegal immigrants in the areas of Housing ($112 million), food ($23 million), social services ($137 million, and administration ($29 million). In all of FY23, New York City alone spent $4.88 billion on illegal immigrants. As of May of this year, estimates across the whole of America are between $151 billion-400 billion and counting.
“Astonishingly, 73% of Democrats, 89% of Republicans, and 80% of adults overall believe that the government is doing a "very" or "somewhat" bad job of dealing with illegal immigration. Notably, there has been an 11% surge in dissatisfaction among Democrats compared to a similar Pew survey conducted less than 8 months ago, said KanekoaThe Great on X.
To give you perspective on the growing problem of illegal immigration, Pew Research reports that in 1990 there were just 3.5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. That rose to 12.2 million in 2005 declining gradually after that to 10.2 million in 2019.